Avengers: Infinite Wars

by free man writer

The Clone Wars are in full swing with the galaxy divided. The Jedi lead the clone army against the infinite droid army of the Separatists. Yet a wild card enters the fray. The Avengers. From there, newer, more sinister and deadlier threats emerge and The Galaxy, no, the universe, shall never be the same again. Phase 3. Co-written by Jebest4781.

60. The Scarlet Witch

Sixty Chapters.

That is insane.

This is my first story to have reached sixty chapters.

I never would have even fathomed fifty honestly but now that I'm past the halfway point to a hundred is crazy to consider. And knowing that this story will likely reach into the two hundreds?

Be that as it all may be, it's crazy to say that we're technically close to a quarter of the way through the story.

Technically. If you want a breakdown of sorts, I've recently run the numbers of how many chapters there will be per season and… yeah, suffice to say, we still have a daunting task ahead of us.

Season 3 looks to have about 45 chapters, season 4 is around 50+ and season 5 is looking to be 40+ so far as well. So yeah, add all that up together and we're in the 200's. Really, this is just a gargantuan epic as time goes on cause again, we're JUST GETTING STARTED.

But any who, in reaching 60 chapters, quick list of thank yous to several comrades of mine.

Right off the bat, Jebest4781 and BulletStormX.

These two dudes have been my main two partners in which we have had a constant exchange of ideas and conversations that has been the norm for a number of years by this point.

Really, so many of my more refined ideas have come from our conversations and they will one day see the light of day.

AldoRaine13, you're an awesome artist and have given me some amazing art pieces for my story. Thanks Bullet for finding him and getting so many amazing covers for this story.

Anywho, some things I apparently have to clear up again.

No X-men, No Fantastic Four, NO VENOM. Again, this story has already been planned and decided upon years ago and I mean that in the literal sense. Anymore changes and that just means an overhaul and reboot would be in order and we don't want that now do we? Already rebooted this story as is and working on another one.

With that all out of the way, let's finish up this anthology and mini-arc.

Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.

Avengers Infinite Wars Chapter 60: The Scarlet Witch

Wanda was sifting through the crashed ship where she had first found Kreia and XoXaan's Holocrons when she had first arrived here.

The reason why she's here was that she was desperate. Desperate to find something useful with the mission about to commence in a few hours from now.

Zalem had attacked the Coven of Nightsisters that she had been staying with for some time now and had taken a number of them hostage in her raid.

Including Merrin and Ilyana's aunt.

Wanda was restless last night. She couldn't sleep a wink. So many worries plagued her mind as nightmares surfaced, both old and new.

Thus she went to Merrin and Ilyana's special place. Not only to clear her head, but some part of her hoped the smugglers or pirates who once owned this vessel forgot to take a number of things. Some stuff which may have been overlooked.

Wanda, after all, found two Sith Holocrons by chance. So why can't she perhaps come across something else.

It may be unlikely but...

"Something." Maximoff muttered. "There has to be something here."

She heard a small eep and bit of commotion behind her.

"Everything alright Ilyana?" Wanda asked aloud, not bothering to look over.

"Yes, I'm fine." Came the response from the young child.

"You didn't break anything, did you?"

"What's there to break? Practically everything else here is broken."

The Avenger snorted. "Good point."

She heard small footsteps coming up to her and looked down at her side at Ilyana looking up at her. "Wanda, what are we looking for here?"

"Something useful. Something which could help save the others."

"Like the Holocrons?"

"Not exactly." Wanda stated. "They are tools of knowledge. What we need is a tool of war or something that can tip the odds in our favor."

"Like what?"

"Like anything." Wanda said desperately. "These smugglers, pirates or whoever must've had something else on this damn ship. It couldn't have been just loot or anything they couldn't use. All there is now is blasted junk and corpses!"

She saw Ilyana flinch and recoil slightly and in an instant Maximoff was filled with guilt. Wanda kneeled down to her eye level and placed both hands on the child's shoulder.

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to yell at you like that." Wanda said, pulling her in for a hug which was reciprocated. "Just this whole thing yesterday has put me on edge. Practically everyone has been taken and we're running out of time before heading out to hopefully get them back. Merrin and your aunt are in danger. I want to get them back fast."

Ilyana smiled, holding onto the woman who she has come to view as an older sister even tighter now.

The two separated and resumed their search on the ship.

The Sokovian was fairly certain that there may be something aboard the ship that she had missed the first time that could be useful for the upcoming conflict.

She was back in the main storage area now where she had first found Kreia and XoXaan's holocrons.

All the tossed over and toppled tombs and sarcophagus' from Korriban.

It was like trekking through a desecrated graveyard with the eerie feeling still wafting in the air.

She hadn't bothered going through these moved crypts beforehand, outside of her previous time here. All due to the factor she wanted to respect the dead.

But now she may as well become a graverobber with what she may enact now. She figured that just looking for something of use here in the physical sense may not yield any results. So perhaps a different method would be needed here.

Ending up in a meditative state, Wanda used her powers to reach out to anything of "power" once calming herself.

It took some time in unadulterated focus when she sensed something in the darkness. Opening her eyes, she didn't know they were glowing scarlet red as she looked towards the general direction of the faint feeling.

Walking towards the spot she felt this time around, Wanda squinted her eyes at the slightly uneven floor beneath the tomb that was in the center of the room.

With a wave of her hand, scarlet energy surrounded both the tomb and the floor panel it was on and it was pulled up off the ground.

There was yet another encased tomb but unlike the many that surrounded it, this one was practically perfectly preserved.

Deciding to open this one with a bit more tact, Wanda sent forth her power in the form of tendrils to enter in between cracks and openings in the sarcophagus.

There was a body in there, wrapped in a litany of bandages, blackened robes and armor of some kind that was preserved with the Force.

She may not understand it still but with her powers and training with her two Sith Mentors, she had begun to at least sense what this omnipresent energy was.

And this sarcophagus had been preserved through methods with the Force.

Inspecting it further, the Sokovian found something alongside the slightly armored, mummified corpse.

It appeared to be a cylindrical item of some kind that looked vaguely familiar.

Gingerly, she picked it up to look at it from all sides until realization hit her. She recalled something from her lessons with the Sith ghosts about a specific tool utilized by practically all within both orders of the Force.

This ended up causing a smile to form on her lips.

-Scene Cut-

Back within her hut, Wanda activated her Holocrons and presented the item to the entities.

"Ah, so you have procured for yourself a Lightsaber." Kreia spoke with approval whilst XoXaan regarded the blade with intrigue.

"Two sided?" The first Sith Lady remarked in intrigue. "My word, I have only seen that design in use of old Force blades on Tython. Never in the form of a Lightsaber."

"The design came to fruition long after your time through a Jedi turned Sith named Exar Kun." Kreia shifted her attention from her fellow Sith ghost to their student. "How did you acquire such a weapon?"

"I found it on the ship." Wanda answered. "It was in a space beneath one of the tombs, hidden out of sight. I didn't even realize it was there until before sunrise."

Wanda wondered why she never noticed it before once coming onto this planet months ago. She had felt the two Sith Holocrons, but why not the lightsaber.

"Whose pilfered tomb was it?"

"Uh… I don't know."

"You don't know?" XoXaan hissed.

"In case you forgot, I can't exactly read or understand your ancient Sith language." Wanda reminded her with a deadpan expression. "And you haven't been helpful in teaching me or lack thereof to begin with on the subject amongst others."

"Only because you kept sealing me back into my Holocron."

"Only because you are an unbearable bitch of a spirit who thinks too highly of herself." Maximoff shot back irritably.

The dark founder harrumphed as she crossed her arms. "If you balanced your lessons with your schedule, I might have taught you."

"Yeah, you might have."

"Enough. What's done is done. Wanda can learn such a language at a later time." Kreia then looked at the lightsaber before her. "Now then, let's see what's inside."

Wanda nodded as she used her powers to carefully dismantle the weapon to reveal the components inside.

The elongated metal handle of the double bladed weapon was of average length for such a model being roughly two feet. What was unique about it was that it bore two red Kyber crystals. One was synthetic, the other was something else entirely.

This secondary crystal was oddly starburst shaped and bore more power within it than the synthetic by a large margin. From the carmine red object, it helped produce 0.75 meter plasma blades. But what other capabilities it bore, only she can unravel them over time.

As the inspection went on, both Kreia and XoXaan commented that Wanda could do well in the following forms now that she has a lightsaber of her own: Niman and Juyo.

Form VI or Niman is known as the moderation form which is a combination of a number of the five previous Lightsaber forms into being less demanding in discipline in allowing them to expand their perception and skills. A balance of all the forms.

But the form that Kreia viewed to be the one most suited for Wanda aside from Shii Cho was the most difficult of all Lightsaber forms to master. Something which XoXaan seemed to think would be enjoyable to perhaps see Wanda try and fail to master.

Form VII or Juyo is rather the opposite of the others as it was the most demanding due to it being the fiercest and strongest above the rest. Yet once mastered it can allow the practitioner to greatly excel in combat, being a near unstoppable attack force once in the hands of a master. All due to the factor it becomes very unpredictable for an opponent to read.

Though it came at a dangerous cost at being susceptible to one's emotions. Even if Wanda doesn't have the Force, emotions still play a role in fighting if one does not control them.

Then again, it all depended on the wielder with their favored style once studying them.

Sure Wanda could use her already taught standard lightsaber form of Shii-Cho, it would be a little awkward with her present weapon; given the handle's length. She could perhaps adjust it with the bo-staff and spear combat she gained with the Nightsisters, but the areas of holding the weapon would now be restricted.

As much as she would like to learn the new styles with the double bladed Force weapon, she had no such time with her present circumstances. So she had to make do with her present knowledge and adapt accordingly.

"There are inscriptions on the side of the blade." Kreia noted, having Wanda turn it slightly for her mentor to see. "Hmm~ Interesting."

"What is it?"

"The name of the one who crafted this weapon."

"Whose was it?"

"You will have to earn that privilege."

"Boo~" Wanda and Ilyana whined a little.

All the while, the first lady of the Sith was inspecting the Lightsaber from all sides.

"Fascinating." XoXaan said. "I never would have thought of such a design."

"Clearly you and your fellow founders lacked imagination." Said Wanda as she deactivated the weapon and clipped it to her pilfered belt.

"Or perhaps such an idea and concept had yet to manifest, child." XoXaan shot back with a glare.

Kreia pinched the bridge of her nose. "I swear… you two give me such a headache, even in death. Must you both behave in such a childish manner?"

"I'm in my mid-twenties." Wanda countered. "She on the other hand is several thousand years old. If you wanna blame anyone, there's your culprit."

"Regardless, I would have at least hoped in the means in which you describe your team you're a part of you would behave in a more mature fashion."

"Tony Stark is one of the co-founders of the Avengers. What you're asking for is a bit impossible."

"If only that name held relevance to me." XoXaan shot back flatly.

"Oh how I would love to see Stark's reaction to you saying that in his face. It would hurt his ego, just a little but it'll be enough."

"If you two are finished…" Kreia said, clearly becoming annoyed now at the two needless bickering. "Despite your recent acquisition of a Force weapon, I doubt you brought us here for such news."

Wanda let out a sigh, shaking her head. "You're correct. An attack happened here by an enemy clan. Most, if not nearly all, of the Talzin's clan was greatly harmed. There were a lot of deaths and many survivors were taken. In some hours, I'll be heading out with others to attack back."

"So you've come to us for help."

"Sort of." Wanda admitted. "I know you guys are spirits and all but I figured I can get some ideas or training in before I head off to confront Zalem and save Talzin's clan."

"And why would you help them?" Asked XoXaan. "These clan of witches, specifically that leader you've spoken of, have made their intentions clear. Does she not want you for your power?"

Wanda shook her head and remembered a conversation she once had with Captain Rogers when she first joined the Avengers after Sokovia.

"It's not about that." Wanda countered. "It's about the principal. I'm an Avenger and that means going out of your way to help those who can't help themselves, even if they're people you don't like."

"Your funeral." Japed XoXaan.

"But what would you get in return, Maximoff?" Kreia questioned. "They may have supplied you with shelter for a time but saving their lives wouldn't gain you much more than what you've already gotten. What more can you get from helping these people?"

The Avenger shrugged. "It's not always about getting something in return. Sometimes, it's just about helping people and not expecting anything back. That's the job of a hero."

"Your heroic job is very flawed." XoXaan said with a sneer.

"The last time I stood around and did nothing, a mad AI manipulated me and my twin brother in almost committing genocide on my planet." Wanda countered. "And I don't wanna take advice or insults from an exile who lost in her war."

"Watch it, Maximoff."

"Or what?" she challenged back. "What can you-"

"ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!" Kreia now shouted, clearly incensed by them both.

Her shout actually caused Ilyana, who was over by her usual spot beside the ship to jolt upwards and fall over in surprise.

Wanda and XoXaan simply glared at one another with Kreia rubbing her head.

"Forces above, I have a migraine from the both of you and I'm a spirit." Kreia grumbled. "Not even, a piece of one, not even the full being. You two are proving to be far more aggravating than you need to be. Now, Wanda, you came to us in hopes of getting any form of instruction that you can get before you go to confront this Nightsister queen, yes? Then you shall be silent and listen to our words. And XoXaan, you will refrain from making any snide or childish remarks should Wanda say anything. As a matter of fact, the same goes for you Maximoff. You are one of the first Sith Lords of the order. I expect you to hold yourself to a higher standard."

Both women were rather startled by the scolding they had received.

"Do I make myself clear?"

She was met with silence.

"Well?"

The other two women grumbled their responses.

"Good." Kreia said with a huff. "Forces, Jedi younglings held more discipline compared to the two of you."

Ilyana held back a giggle as she was still startled with Kreia snapping earlier.

The former Sith Lord let out a shaky sigh before "gazing" upon her pseudo-student.

"To begin with, Wanda, neither of us are miracle workers. Letting you miraculously know the knowledge of the saber forms with a snap is basically impossible; unless you were secretly a training droid. Even if that were to somehow happen, you wouldn't have the physical training and body memory to aptly respond and follow through with them."

"I agree. It would be all done in half measures." Spoke the dark founder.

"So what should I do then?" Wanda asked, holding her newly acquired Lightsaber up.

"For one, a lightsaber of that design may prove to be too much for you to handle, Maximoff." Kreia stated. "Tread carefully if you are indeed to utilize such a tool."

"No kidding. I have to be extra careful so I won't stab myself in an accident by pressing the wrong switch."

"I've seen that happen with some novice or thief who thought they could use the weapon on the first try. Practically killed them on the spot." Said the faux-Dathomirian.

Wanda didn't comment about that.

"Anything else you can perhaps part me with?"

"You plan on going this coming morning to this Queen's territory, yes?" Wanda nodded. "Then you shall use this time in practice with your new weapon. Now, we shall start with the basics once again."

Wanda nodded as she used her powers to clear the space of her hut. She then looked towards Ilyana who was still there.

"You best head back."

"But I wanna stay."

"Sorry, but I don't want to end up hurting you."

"B-But I can watch from a distance!"

"Wanda, let her stay." Kreia said.

"What?" Wanda rounded on her. "Why should she-"

"She and Merrin hold a great degree of potential." Kreia stated. "Taking this time in observing your training shall prepare her for the time when she will undoubtedly pick up a Lightsaber of her own."

Ilyana beamed, shooting a slightly smug look in Wanda's direction.

The Sokovian exhaled a drawn out sigh before glaring evenly at the hooded Holocron entity.

"Fine. But anything happens, it's on you."

"Hearing your childish arguments with XoXaan is enough of a punishment."

-Scene Cut-

Amongst a crowd of Nightsisters, the volunteers were getting the last bit of preparation taken care of before they headed out.

There weren't many of them, barely reaching a dozen in numbers.

But the lack of quantity was made up by quality as the very best that had remained in the village were handpicked by Talzin to undergo this counter raid.

It was primarily composed of the Nightsisters who fought back against Zalem's clan and were among the few who had been able to fight back against those that had attacked them.

Needless to say, these were not simple witches of Dathomir.

Junn was checking her gear of the usual provisions to weapons, traditional to unusual, when she saw Wanda approaching the group and saw some changes about her.

"You look battle ready." She commented.

"Thanks." Wanda simply said.

Her friend eyed the armor that she wore. Primarily, mixed around her traditional attire, Wanda bore some flexible armored greaves for her arms with vambraces and for her legs some greaves which reached up her to her knees being capped off by Poleyns. She wore a single, small piece of chest armor to help fit her slender frame. She would've gone with more, but the Avenger didn't want to restrict her movements too much.

"Where'd you get the armor?"

"Was digging around."

Dig around she did.

While she pilfered the double bladed lightsaber from the crashed ship, she also brought back a number of armor pieces from the one tomb and a few others. Reason being that she needed some additional form of protection and some of the armor didn't exactly fit her on the first tomb she desecrated.

It was Wanda's turn to inspect Junn as she saw something which stood out.

"Nice weapon you got there. You get that from Talzin?" She noted, inspecting it.

"I did and several others. And I take it you got yours as well from her."

Wanda didn't answer that, only remaining silent to let the Nightsister assume she was correct.

From what the Sokovian was referring to was the factor that Junn and several others bore a lightsaber.

It more or less made her realize they could've been from the crashed ship nearby or collected over the years. Who's to say. A lot can happen in six hundred years after all.

Regardless, they were a bit more equipped for what's to come.

Once they were all prepped and ready, they converged upon the center of the village where the daughter of Queen Zalem stood with Talzin by her side.

"We're all here?" Lai asked, looking around at the assembled group of Nightsisters. "I would've expected more."

"There would've been if not all of them are still being treated." Merrin's mother -Tina- who was equipped and armored, said aloud.

"Some of the wounded are our best healers, so that's making things difficult." Said another Nightsister.

"And any others are still needed here to protect what is left." Talzin stated.

"I see. That's unfortunate."

"So what's the game plan, Ros Lai?" Asked Wanda.

Zalem's daughter quirked a brow at the wording but understood the intention.

"To begin with, the best way to enter my mother's territory will be going through the jungles. The other access points would take too long to get to."

"The jungles?" Junn said in slightly disbelief. "Your jungles? The jungles riddled with Rancors?"

"Yes." Lai said in a flat tone. "More so that they are patrolled with Rancor riders."

"Well that's just perfect."

"That's why I'm here, remember?" Ros rhetorically asked. "I'll be able to mask our presence from the Rancor. I'm not just good at changing appearances."

"But for how long?"

"As long as I have utmost concentration, I believe we may be safe."

'Until things go pear-shaped.' Came Wanda's thought.

"And even then, you can all assist me in supplying some of your magic towards me and amplifying the spell needed to keep ourselves invisible.

"I'm not honestly keen on just giving you our magic." A Nightsister with a spiked whip said with general mistrust towards Zalem's daughter.

"Well I'm your best chance of doing so." Ros shot back.

"But how can we truly trust you?" Asked another Nightsister. "You're the daughter of Queen Zalem, the one responsible for attacking us. For all we know, this could be a trap."

"I understand your reservations but in case you failed to notice, I have just as much reason to take down my mother as all of you do."

"Yeah, or this could be your chance to take power and we're just a steppingstone for you."

"Such a great team group exercise." Wanda sarcastically muttered to herself before speaking aloud. "Look, we can bicker against each other when we're in the clear. We have lives at stake in case you forgot. I trust Ros here cause she opened her mind to show me what Zalem has done to her and her own clan. She wants her gone as much as we do."

The Nightsisters still held some reservations but after hearing Wanda vouch for Ros, they opted to remain silent and give her the benefit of doubt.

"Ok then, let's get started." Ros said, pulling out a cylindrical device and placing it on the ground.

A holo map appeared, displaying a number of highlighted areas with several points blinking constantly.

"Ok, so we're here." Ros said pointing to a dot on the upper right portion of the map. "And the borders of my clan's territory starts around here."

The map shifted a few miles northwest.

"As you all are well aware of by now, Zalem holds the largest territory amongst the Witches of Dathomir. It's in that which will be our biggest advantage in infiltrating back into my homeland. Such a large territory, despite the numbers, is difficult to scout and maintain. That will be our way in."

Ros highlighted a specific portion of the border.

"There's little to no patrols there and an easy way in."

"How can you be sure?" Junn asked.

"It's where I practiced my abilities in private for years." She said with assuredness. "After we cross the jungles, we shall cross the desert. It's a rather long trek by foot, so unless we can acquire some form of transportation at that point then it'll be a long day to reach my mother's stronghold built into the Kwa temple-"

-Scene Cut-

If what Wanda thought of Talzin's territory was an unsettling dream when she first saw it, the jungle of Zalem's clan was a truly eerie nightmare.

It was heavily misty, dark and dense with no clear line of sight anywhere. As they went deeper into the terrain, the canopies above started to allow less and less light to pierce through the darkening environment.

The occasional rocky areas may give them something as a marker, along with an assortment of toppled trees, but they'd just be vulnerable if they stayed at those spots for too long.

Wanda was somewhat glad they didn't bring any form of transportation through this part of their mission. It would've been a migraine just to get them through this area with anything else.

For now, they had to try and spread out, but not too far. They would be less easily seen. Unfortunately they'd be more easily caught when being picked off one by one. Thus they needed to focus more on not being too separated.

Hopefully Ros Lai's masking ability could help.

Another unfortunate thing limiting their speed traversing through the darkening jungle were their lightsabers.

The temptation to ignite them in order to cleave through the trees or illuminate their path was not a good idea. They had to focus more on stealth. If they used the Force weapons, their positions will be exposed ever further and they'd risk the rescue party at large.

For now, it will only be used as a last resort.

While they were traversing through the jungle they were in…

"You mentioned this other worldly source of power." Junn spoke up in a hushed whisper.

"Yes, what about it?" Ros responded.

"Where did it come from? If it's from another world or planet, it must have come from somewhere."

Ros frowned slightly at the question and Wanda detected that this was a question that had plagued the mind of Zalem's daughter as well.

"My mother never really spoke on it." Ros remarked. "From what I remember, a man of extraordinary power came to this world a few decades ago looking for someone of importance. He left something behind in our territory before he departed."

"Who was he looking for?" Junn asked, getting a shrug from Lai.

"He never said." Ros said vaguely. "What I have been able to gather is that he went around from village to village, visiting each clan before he departed from our world. We never even knew where he left whatever he departed with, but we more or less figure now it's where the blue blob resides now."

"Or could be the blue blob in its entirety." Said Wanda, causing her to explain. "The blob appeared suddenly, yes? I somewhat believe now it may have been something similar to a bomb. Waiting for the time to go off and do whatever it was created for."

"How can you tell?" Tani asked.

Ros opened her mouth to answer before a different thought occurred.

She looked over to Wanda with a curious gaze. "Wanda?"

"Hmm?"

"Is it at all possible that you can project my memories into everyone else's minds for them to see what I saw the day that mass appeared in my territory."

The Avenger blinked at the request but mutely nodded and concentrated momentarily on Ros.

The Dathomirian hybrid allowed free entry into her mind, projecting the memory that she wanted her to see.

Latching onto it, she soon focused on the other minds around her.

"Don't block me off please." Wanda said in a low voice of concentration as she began to send the memory into the rest of the group's mind.

The scarlet energy fog slowly spread out and connected towards the party member's heads. Their eyes glowed red for the briefest of moments as they were assaulted by a number of memories.

"Whoa!" Junn gasped aloud. "What was that?!"

"One of my-"

Wanda soon sensed something and acted accordingly.

"Get down."

The others more or less heard Wanda's low hiss. They quickly followed in her motions with Ros exhaling with a slight grunt as she poured more of her masking magic to keep them hidden.

Despite that precaution, they still opted to get low to the ground or hide behind some of the trees and fauna of the area.

Wanting to know the reason why, all they got was them feeling small tremors from the earth.

The only way such a thing could happen was from something big.

Peeking from their own hiding places, they saw a shift in the trees with the tremors being felt more and louder.

"It's gotta be the patrols or unbonded rancor."

"Either way we gotta get going right now."

"Constant vigilance." Wanda quoted from a particular book series.

Moving their way through the jungle was simple enough for the group, each having their own training to do so. For Wanda, she had some more difficulty than the rest of them.

Her past missions as an Avenger never went through such terrain. The closest to it in her life had been these past months, yet the forests in Talzin's territory were not dense as the one she was in now.

"Feels like I can hardly breathe here." Junn commented, shimmying in between two tree trunks a foot or so apart.

"You came here to train, Ros?" Wanda questioned, seeing their guide and ally nod.

"This is the perfect place to train." Lai remarked. "Aside from the vacant spots near our borders, wild Rancors inhabit this area and only those seeking a mount come here. And those are ceremonial so I always knew when it would occur."

They continued onward, weaving in between the dense trees with the occasional pause when the sound of heavy footsteps were nearby.

Ros stopped momentarily to gesture for them to pass through a wide space between two trees and the group walked up to see…

"This is a bit of a surprise." Tina commented, blinking at what she and the rest of the group was seeing.

Standing near a clearing, Wanda and the others looked upon what could be considered a ship junkyard.

Quite the number of models were sprawled out for acres on end, pieces scattered out from the cumulated crashes the ships went through.

"What is this place?" Wanda asked in confused wonder.

"We deposit ships here that serve no further use." Ros answered.

"I find it odd that all these ships are here within the forest." Junn remarked. "I would've expected them to be more spread out in the territory. Not be concentrated into one location."

"What is this Ros?" Tina asked, turning to the illusionist. "This is your territory after all."

Ros crossed her arms in thought.

"Most ships, when found, are salvaged for parts and anything of value. Just like any clan on this planet, we bring them back home in order to find any further use for them. More intact ones were greatly favored centuries ago for those who wanted to leave."

"Then why are all of them here?" Wanda asked, approaching a small, sleek vessel that was in ruins and missing a few parts.

"You can blame my mother for that." Ros answered.

Several questions swarmed Wanda's mind when this was said. Only a simple one was prominent.

"How?"

"The temple in our territory, she's been trying to use its power. Drawing in many ships to the planet like a tractor beam. I don't know the full specifics, but-."

The Dathomirian hybrid halted when she and the others started feeling quakes along the ground. And it started to become audible with the nearby metal starting to give out quivering sounds.

The group all tensed up and Ros gestured for them to dive behind the scrapped ships for covering.

They all hid behind the ships closest to them and peeked out to see something had come upon the ship junkyard.

It was a large hunchback reptilian-like creature standing around 16 feet -perhaps more- with long arms, an immense jaw and an armored hide.

It was a Rancor.

And it wasn't alone.

There was a hooded Nightsister riding atop the large beast, nudging the whip for her Rancor to deposit a ship scrap that it was holding in its hands.

"A Rancor rider." Tani murmured.

"Not just any." Ros muttered, squinting her eyes at the rider. "Yongti."

"Who's that?" Wanda asked.

"She's a princess of sorts, like myself but more of what my Mother wants." Ros whispered. "She's one of her spares should I ever had perished but it wouldn't have mattered. Yongti always knew that if Zalem ever had another daughter that met her standards, she would have been discarded just like me."

"Is that why she has a resting bitch face?" Wanda asked, remembering that term from Sam when he used it to describe less than pleasant people.

The women around her choked under their breath, trying to restrain their laughter.

"Resting bitch face?" Junn repeated, nearly breaking. "Where in the galaxy did you get that?"

"Bad influences." Wanda cheekily remarked.

The group then jolted when they heard movement again and they all looked back to Yongti and her Rancor.

The beast had its head tilted up and there were sounds of deep breaths with a now alert Rancor rider.

"What's it doing?" Wanda asked, now on edge.

The Rancor lowered its head with the group seeing Yongti lean forward slightly and began looking around the area.

They all realized what was happening and immediately hid back behind the ships they were using for cover.

"Can it smell us?" Wanda asked softly.

Ros opened her mouth to answer and then they heard the sound of the Rancor roaring aloud.

The Avenger whipped her head towards the brutish monster and her eyes widened at the sight of the beast charging in their direction.

"She's found us!" Junn shouted.

"Take her down!" Ros quickly said. "If she gets out any sort of message towards the rest of Zalem's clan, we'll be overwhelmed."

Just as they were about to mount up an offensive, their eyes widened at an engine from a ship being thrown at them.

Wanda instinctively threw her hands up to catch the metallic piece but it was for naught as Yongti unslung a blaster rifle from her back and began firing at them.

Bolts of plasma flew past them, forcing the group to disburse and seek for better cover. Alas it wouldn't do much good with the Rancor present. Their roars and charge spoke volumes as they barreled into the ship graveyard. The large creatures grasped onto various pieces of scrapped ships in order to unveil the invading party.

For normal spacers, civilians, or even a good number of lesser bounty hunters, it would be quite the effective spectacle.

For those with a good amount of experience under their belt, it was just another day on the job.

"MOVE." Wanda shouted, using her telekinesis to push those closest to the Rancor away to safety.

They scattered about as the Rancor began swinging its large arms about wildly.

Ship pieces were flung aside whilst Yongti rode atop her mount and fired at the Nightsisters.

She managed to hit a Nightsister and she crumpled onto the floor dead with her Rancor tromping over the body for good measure.

"Bastard." Wanda said through gritted teeth, using her telekinesis to heft a front piece of a ship and threw it right at the Rancor's face.

The beast roared in anger at the Avenger and threw metal at her in return.

She caught it though she was flung back slightly as the Rancor tossed another piece at the one she had caught.

Yongti was firing at them rapidly.

"Surround her now." Ros ordered out.

The group did as she said but a moment later, they felt the ground shaking about.

"What in the-"

"Over there!"

Wanda and Junn spun about and the former held back a curse at the sight of three more Rancors charging towards them.

Their riders all possessed blaster rifles and quickly began firing at them, causing them to run about in efforts to avoid getting hit.

Some of Wanda's allies ignited their lightsabers and had to start deflecting the blaster bolts and energy arrows. Yet they weren't fast and skilled as true Force practitioners to fully block or deflect them.

"Gah!" Tani scowled, gripping her leg as she scrambled behind a tree.

"You alright?" Ros asked, stopping next to her.

"I got clipped. What else!" Tina bemoaned, Lai quickly pulling out a bandage to wrap around her leg and she cast some sort of spell over the injury.

"Stay here."

"I'll try, but no promises."

Back with the others, Wanda was fending off a Rancor by herself, throwing pieces of scrap at the beast and its master in an effort to keep it disoriented and distracted.

Wanda then flinched upon the ground next to her exploding and kicking up dirt and metal.

She turned to see Yongti with another rider by her side and this one had her hands aglow with the magic used on Dathomir.

"Shit." Maximoff said to herself.

A psionic shield was thrown up as bolts of plasma and spells were lobbed in her direction.

A roar from behind her made her remember the Rancor she was fighting earlier and she quickly expanded her shield to surround her entirely.

Just in time to as a leathery fist came down atop her, making Wanda grunt in exertion from the force.

Thinking fast, the Avenger sent a pulse of energy to the ground below and a dust cloud was kicked up.

The makeshift battlefield was now a hazy mess as the battle still raged on with Wanda making a tactical retreat.

In the midst of the dust, she bumped into Junn and quickly grabbed her and pulled her along to get to a safe location.

"Come out!" A voice suddenly pierced through the chaos. "The longer you run, the more likely we'd let our pets here snack on your bones. Running will only get you so far."

"Joy."

"I think I would cause a bad case of indigestion." Junn tacked on.

"Just surrender." Another voice spoke up, this one having a more regal tinge to her voice. "More of our kin will soon be here and it will only be a matter of time before you are captured, killed or devoured."

There was gruff snort heard with a sinister laugh following suit.

"Preferably the last option as our beasts haven't had their meals for today."

"We're not gonna stop until we stop Zalem, Yongti." Ros spoke up amidst all the noise. "This has been a long time coming so you're only delaying the inevitable."

There was a bark of laughter with several more from others.

"Then you shall die foolishly."

The dust was subsiding, making most visible once more. Zalem's subordinates resumed their rampage with them kicking up more of the scrapped ships and unfortunately killing off two more of their team in the process.

"Dammit, this is too much for us." Junn cried out, hiding behind a large transport vessel with Wanda and Ros.

"Is there a way to stop them?" Wanda asked, slightly out of breath.

"Killing or disabling the riders is often an easier option. Doing the same on their mounts is rather impossible."

A stray thought then drifted through the Sokovians mind. "What about severing the connection between them?"

Disabling their bond wasn't an option previously brought up.

In a way, it reminded her of when Ultron used the Mind Stone -through Loki's Scepter- to mind control Dr. Helen Cho and her team. And Wanda was able to use her powers to disrupt that connection, allowing the scientist to halt Ultron's transfer into his "perfect" body.

Could the same occur again in this scenario?

'Won't hurt not to try.' Thought Wanda.

"What do you mean?" Ros asked.

"Is there a way to break the bonds shared between rider and beast?" Wanda inquired.

"Er… I believe so but that requires some powerful Dathomirian magic."

Maximoff's hands radiated her scarlet psionic energy as her eyes glowed red. "Or… something more potent."

"What?" Was the response from the two beside her.

"Stay here." She instructed and took to the skies, ignoring their pleas for her to wait and stay.

"HEY!" Wanda bellowed out, catching the attention of the opposing Nightsisters, hovering in the air above them.

They all turned to her and actually took a moment to blink at what they were looking at.

"Well now, aren't you a fascinating sight." Yongti couldn't help but comment. "What are you supposed to be? A fool's hero?"

Instead of answering, Wanda's eyes glowed with a wicked smirk as she reached out with her power. The scarlet mist swiftly raced across the space and made contact with the rancor closest to her. In a swift moment, their eyes dilated before returning to normal.

At that instant, the rancor reacted like a mad beast off its leash.

It bellowed and snarled with elation, freedom, conquest and vengeance as it started to attack one of the nearby Rancors.

Wanda ended up going a bit too far as her powers reached out to the other mounts as she severed the bonds, letting them run rampant as well.

"What the hell is happening?!" Screamed out one of Zalem's clan members.

"Something is wrong with them!" Screamed another, who held on tight to her saddle like a rodeo rider. "I can't feel-AAAAH!"

This particular member of Zalem's clan soon fell off and plummeted towards the earth. Shortly after, she tried scrambling away, only to be quickly caught by another riderless rancor. She screamed and flailed to free herself, only to be swiftly silenced as the beast struck her in its mouth and bit her in half.

Wanda's eyes widened considerably at the gruesome sight before her.

"Oh my." She whispered.

The Rancors made quick work of their former mounts with only Yongti barely managing to get away from them.

While some of Wanda's allies were quick to spot her and go after her, the rest had to basically flee for their lives.

Apparently the Avenger didn't think quite well on the repercussions.

"Wanda!" The Sokovian heard Junn's voice from behind.

The human was about to turn to face her comrade when noticing the stampeding rancor. She swiftly used her powers to not only evade, but to throw other pieces of debris on their incoming path.

Eventually getting to a safe distance, Wanda was quickly snagged from the side and behind a downed craft to see Ros being the culprit with Tani beside her.

"By the rings of Fornax, what did you do, Maximoff?" Tani asked, eyes wide at the sight of the rampaging Rancors.

"I used my powers and… well… it didn't really work out as I thought." The scarlet garbed heroine admitted.

"What was your first clue?" Ros asked in an unamused tone.

"I just thought if I broke the bond, the rancor could perhaps just leave us be." Wanda said defensively.

"Sure, you broke the connection, but now we got a bunch of highly pissed off rancor on all of our hides." The daughter of Zalem said, jabbing her hand in their direction. "Now it'll be much more difficult to deal with these things."

"Can't we just leave them here?" Wanda felt slightly dumb in asking that.

"We could, but-"

"MOVE!"

Two Rancors bulldozed their way towards them. Their cover was swiftly knocked aside as a result.

Wanda hastily created a psionic barrier and used all her power to push them back.

Off in the distance, Wanda saw a few of her allies fending off another rancor. Using their blue and green colored lightsabers to get on top of them and cleaving their arms before going towards the head.

She faced the two before her and they were rearing themselves back for another charge at her.

Focusing on their minds again, Wanda attempted to reach out with her powers and perhaps calm them telepathically.

What she did not expect was a violent backlash from her attempt and she felt a sharp tinge of pain in her head. And with that pain came something else.

Stumbling back, Wanda barely managed to fly away from two large fists smashing her into the ground with the two Rancors chasing after her.

Rather than look at them with fear and trepidation, Maximoff looked at them with pity and remorse.

She felt mental anguish radiating from the two creatures before her and they had become completely rapid in their "liberation" of their masters.

All they wanted to do now was kill and rampage.

And if they were to leave them alone, who knows how much damage they would cause until they were put down?

Seeing as there was no other choice…

Unclipping her weapon from her belt, Wanda ignited one end of the carmine red lightsaber. It's blade hummed in the air as she soon used her powers to speed up her movements.

She zipped in close to one of the Rancors only to hastily hold up her blade to defend herself from the large hand coming right at her. Not much was done from the defensive maneuver, though the plasma blade did burn the beast's flesh a bit as it carved into it slightly.

It screeched aloud, reeling its burnt hand back.

Using her psionic energy, she pushed the towering creature away before making herself go airborne.

Twirling in the air, Wanda landed near the rancor's saddle. She struggled to maintain balance from the rampaging beast trying to ensnare her. She did retaliate by cleaving off a hand and using her powers to halt the other. Once pushing it away, she plunged the lightsaber into the rancor's skull.

Instead of dying right away, the beast flailed rather fiercely. Wanda was thus forced to deactivate her weapon and leapt into the air. Shooting out an energy wave from the palm of her hand, she was barely able to stagger it. And she used that opening to ignite her lightsaber before throwing it straight into its closest eye towards her.

Flailing ever further, Wanda used much of her powers to keep it in place. Large amounts of scarlet energy immobilized it and encompassed it like a straitjacket.

Seeing as her friend needed help, Junn ran forward, leapt and landed on the beast. Igniting her given lightsaber, she stabbed it into the rampaging beast's head several times before it toppled over to the earth as it became lifeless.

Retrieving her lightsaber, Wanda gagged a little when seeing the eye pustules coat some of her weapon; despite it cauterizing the eye socket.

Swallowing away the disgust, the Avenger eyed the Nightsister as they exchanged a brief nod.

*THUD*

Wanda and Junn whirled about to see Ros atop the other Rancor that was with the one they had just killed and jumped off its head.

"Well, guess that takes care of them." Lai wryly said before speaking loudly. "Is everyone ok?"

There was a moment of silence as several of the Nightsisters looked over to the fallen members of their troupe and a somber mood befell them for a few moments.

"How many?" Ros whispered quietly.

"Five." Junn answered. "Only eight of us now."

"Why did they react like that?" Tani abruptly asked, gazing upon the dead Rancors. "I've never heard of something like this happening."

"A lot of the Force bonds on these creatures are often mutual, depending on how it's performed." Ros explained. "Much of my mother's people, however, makes a forced bond, enslaving them to their will. So when Wanda severed their bonds-"

"She unshackled enraged beasts of burden." Junn finished with a somber tone.

"I'm sorry." Wanda murmured. "I didn't know this would happen."

She felt Junn place a hand upon her shoulder and lightly shook her. "None of us knew such a thing could happen. This was a surprise for all of us."

"But why did they react that way?"

In her head, Wanda recalled a number of shows and movies she grew up watching with Pietro which had a similar situation. Good guy frees tortured beings, they'd repay in kind by attacking their captor for a brief mutual alliance before parting ways.

Apparently fiction wouldn't always be reality.

"I think that after being through such a state for who knows how long, they didn't care if you were their savior or tormentor. They'd lash out regardless, for going through such a bond is not in their desired domestication." Ros informed her companions.

"Sisters, we got her."

Looking over, they saw several other Nightsisters dragging Yongti towards them who was presently bound in several areas of the body.

They deposited her before Ros with their newly captured prisoner glaring up at her.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Yongti spat out.

Ros Lai found herself smirking down at her and for the briefest moments considered showing her what she was known as to her. Yet she didn't want to risk exposing her identity in case she were to somehow escape and report back to her mother.

"I won't give you the satisfaction of knowing who I am." Ros said, kneeling down to the other princess of Zalem's "kingdom". "But what I will tell you is that we're the reckoning that's long overdue for Zalem. So, you have two options. You can help us in taking down Zalem or we leave you here for whatever passing Rancor that sees you and feels a mite peckish."

"Burn in the circles." Yongti hissed.

Ros went on, unperturbed by her response. "Or~~~ we can go with option three and let our friend here," she soon nudged towards Wanda, "pry the information out of your head by force."

"You saw me severe the connections you had with your beasts." Wanda said, hands alight with her powers. "What do you think I could do to someone like you?"

Yongti found herself paling as she felt some strange sensation in her head which caused a cold sweat to break out.

"So then," Ros said patiently. "What'll it be?"

-Scene Cut-

"You sure it's wise to let her join?" Tani asked, warily eyeing the dazed expression of Yongti who was trailing behind Wanda and Ros.

The resident of this territory shrugged her shoulders. "We got a lot of useful information out of her and I figure killing her would be senseless in all honesty. The less I am like my mother the better."

Junn frowned at this answer and looked over at the Dathomirian.

"I don't know if I feel entirely comfortable seeing her in such a state."

As to what was being referred to, Yongti -for all intents and purposes- enslaved to Wanda's will.

In a sense, Yongti was having her just deserts with how she and her fellow clan members forcefully controlled the Rancor.

With how this was exactly done, the Avenger "enchanted" the woman's mind. Filling her head with a pleasurable fantasy, which lowered her defenses even further and allowing Wanda control until she saw fit.

To a degree, it was like how Loki and Ultron enthralled their captives into doing their dirty work with their temporary access to the Mind Stone.

Wanda didn't know if her powers were starting to evolve to reach such a state, due to said Infinity Stone's influence. It could perhaps be from being trained by the Sith spirits which allowed this to happen.

While the "enchantment" ability was very useful, it made Wanda feel rather uneasy in using it; much like her previous thoughts of invading people's minds, only this was several steps beyond it.

The whole process felt incredibly invasive and dirty.

"I don't like it either but if we can use her to help free your clan and even liberate Dathomir from that mad queen, some nasty choices need to be made." Wanda retorted. "Get our hands dirty so that other people don't have to do what we did."

"Look, I don't like this either," Ros stated firmly. "But Zalem will be demanding patrol reports. And having a lacking amount from Yongti's group would make her suspicious. So she has to live and give her our version of what happened."

Tani eyed the "princess" analytically.

"I really gotta ask now, but what caused you to start rebelling against your mother?"

Ros' expression morphed into that of resentment. "She disposed of my father after he served his purpose in procreating me."

Such a method wasn't unheard of on Dathomir. The tradition dates back centuries ago when the clans were getting established after much infighting and civil wars. Once procuring a mate, a Dathomirian woman could decide to kill their chosen male once becoming pregnant or prolong it after a certain point if the Dathomirian desires more children. It's rather rare that the woman would fully spare their mate in hopes of raising their children.

Then again, it more or less depends on the person and if the children are born male or female.

"And how would you know?" Junn asked.

"His spirit came to me."

"His… his spirit?" Wanda repeated, making sure she wasn't hearing things.

Ros nodded her head. "Yes. You see, my father was a Jedi Knight. Wherein our people have the spirits of our fallen appear through unconventional means through our Force Sorcery, his was a more pure distillation of it. He can come back of his own volition if he were to allow himself to fully surrender his being into the Force itself. It's what allowed him to retain consciousness and come to me as a spirit to tell me of my mother's vile ways. He became my true mentor when I was still a girl. On top of my lessons in my youth, once my mother cut them entirely, my father taught me all he knew before I could no longer see his spirit."

"Perhaps he had nothing left to teach you or advice to give." Junn suggested.

Ros shook her head. "If that were possible. I just feel there's more to it, but I can only question it daily. But I'll tell you about it later. Come on, we're close."

'Spirits…' Maximoff internally mused.

Wanda somewhat wondered what may happen if she were to bring up the information of her having possession of two Holocrons right now.

After an hour of more traveling, they were no longer in the jungle terrain of Zalem's territory as they were now in the desert regions. The rolling hills of sand stretched out for miles upon miles. It could perhaps be days of venturing through the scorching landscape if they didn't have not just one guide but two; even if one was temporarily enslaved to Wanda's will.

There were a number of rocky terrains blended with the sandy areas, which gave them some amount of shade; depending on the time of day. The same occurred as they came across some ruins uncovered by the shifting winds over the span of days. Such structures reminded Wanda of those in Egypt with the Sphinx and pyramids among other things.

At a certain point, Zalem's daughter obtained the party's attention.

"Up ahead." Ros said aloud with growing confidence. "Stay close to me, I'm going to put the shroud back up."

The shroud Lai referred to was the illusion spell she had developed to keep her hideous facade, blend in between the environment or turn invisible for a short period of time.

Some troupe members suggested having Wanda assist casting the spell, or at the very least provide power. The suggestion, however, was turned down.

With Wanda's powers being more or less recognizable, Zalem and perhaps a number of her top "generals" could sense her if the Avenger used her powers more frequently with an excessive amount. And if she were to be spotted, then the others would be as well.

Eventually coming over a dune-ish overpass, they came upon a very distinguished sight.

"There she is." Ros muttered, eyes trailing up towards the top of the pyramid-like structure.

With the Star Temple in sight, the troupe heard a faint cry in the distance. The group moved rather quickly before approaching a sand dune, crouching down and slowly reaching the top.

At that point, the voice they heard earlier became more clearer.

"Move, you lazy reprobates! Work harder and you'll be given more sleep time and sustenance!"

Pulling out some binoculars, Junn spotted a woman in the distance as she oversaw the enslaved workers, both male and female varieties.

Junn parted ways with the farseeing device and handed it over to Ros. "Would you know who she is?"

Taking a look, Zalem's daughter was able to quickly recognize her.

"Vonya." Ros whispered. "My mother's right hand. She commands over half of her forces and is someone we need to take out first."

"And who are some of her trusted underlings?" Asked Wanda. "Her captains, generals, or whatever?

"Yani." Lai said with a venomous tone. "One of my tormentors. She keeps the slaves in order and is usually seen with Leena, another of my abusers."

"Such a small list."

"Yet they are rather fierce fighters and skilled practitioners of magic."

"Where are they going?"

Ros gazed ahead. "Back to the source of my mother's newfound power."

"Ok." Wanda said in a low voice. "This is your terrain Ros. How should we do this?"

Ros was silent, the Dathomirian-human hybrid on one knee with her eyes scanning the terrain before them.

She had spent her entire life growing up here so it was a matter of where they should start. She was well aware that as soon as they started their attack, be it discreet or out in the open, her mother would make her presence known.

Before she was able to speak, the ground began to shake about making the group tense up.

"Great, another one." Ros noted aloud.

"Do you normally have earthquakes here?" Asked Wanda.

After a moment, Ros clenched her teeth and shook her head.

"No but we do have-"

*GRFVVVV*

Bursting out from the ground was a large creature that was essentially an oversized worm.

The Nightsisters gaped in horror and disbelief as they gazed upon the beast that made such a sudden and emphatic appearance.

The worm was massive and had to be around 200 meters in length. And it's heavily toothy maw was quite vicious.

To Wanda, they somewhat resembled these sandworms from some shows and films Pietro got her to see.

"What the hell are those things?" Wanda asked in alarm.

Ros grimaced. "Those are whuffa worms. They're hard to kill with their thick hides and surprising speed. We sometimes hunt them for certain rituals. And their hides are valued very well."

"How so?" Junn inquired.

"Where do you think we got some of our armor?" Ros said, gesturing her head in the direction of a number of her clan members garbed in hide-like armor with the color indicating it being the skin from a Whuffa Worm.

"...Huh, interesting." Junn remarked, rubbing her chin as she eyed the armor.

"So how should we go about this?"

Ros winced slightly to herself, bobbing her head side to side.

"Well… had I known a Whuffa Worm would be here, I would have advised using flight." Ros stated. "But even with my enchantments of keeping us hidden from my clan, the Worm will just detect our movement since we're still walking on the ground."

"Are we safe here?" Tani asked now nervously.

Zalem's daughter didn't answer with her eyes firmly set on the worm and squinted at its movements.

"We wouldn't be here if we weren't." Ros stated. "It's… doing something else."

"Like what?" One of the Nightsisters asked, stepping around Tani to get a better look only for her to trip herself up.

She landed in a light thud on the ground and at first, no one thought anything of it as Tani was quick to help her up.

But then…

"Oh shit."

The group looked up to see that the Whuffa Worm had frozen and had its head inclined down towards the ground.

It slowly looked up to where they all stood and after a moment of tense silence, Tani subconsciously took a step back without realizing it and-

*GROOOOOAAAARRRAAAHHHH*

"MOVE!" Wanda yelled, hands alighting with her powers as the Whuffa Worm made a beeline straight for them.

The ground erupted in front of them, the Worm burrowing its way towards them.

They heard yells and shouts from voices not of their own group but that didn't matter.

Maximoff saw that they were too bunched up so she quickly used her powers to scatter her team before taking flight.

She did so just in time as the Whuffa burst out from the ground beneath her with its jaws open for a large bite.

Instinctively, she hurled a large psionic sphere right at the head and the worm flinched from the impact.

The Whuffa may have taken some damage but it didn't stop it from simply burrowing back into the ground.

Wanda didn't have time to dwell on it as blaster fire was sent in her direction and she saw the Nightsisters of Zalem's clans running towards them.

The enemy Dathomirians could be focusing on them or on the worm in general. It didn't matter as overall, chaos swiftly arose and now reigned in the area.

Junn was engaged in a two on one fight between her and the enemy clan and she found herself on the backfoot. Tani was assisting her as she was able to get the upper hand on one opponent and skewered her with her own weapon.

As this occurred, Wanda struggled to fend off against the sandworm as it seemed to start shrugging off her attacks to a degree.

Junn grit her teeth as her fist bounced off the gauntlet of one of her two opponents. What Ros said was true, it's hide was good for armor once used.

Though now she was testing it firsthand.

Their armor was proving to live up to what Lai had spoken of but she noticed that it appears they relied on it a bit too much. Even if their defenses were up, the blows would surely get the better of them as time went on.

These two had a level of skill to them but it appeared basic at most with some actual sloppy attempts at getting a hit in on her. If not for there being two, Junn would have finished one of them off already by now.

The Nightsister just needed to wait for a chance.

She saw an opening with one of the Dathomirians overextending her swing. Junn deftly ducked underneath the arm and ignited her lightsaber, slashing through the chest of the enemy and killing her in an instant.

During this, Tina was having some difficulty with the group she faced now. She sought to protect her allies, but she was starting to get overwhelmed. Yongti, in her enslaved enchanted state, was able to help protect Tina, but at the cost of her own life. The Nightsister appeared to have luck on her side, albeit barely and briefly, when she was able to miraculously kill a few enemies rather quickly.

Unfortunately that luck went out when the worm apparently appeared above her, brought down its mouth and swallowed her and the corpses whole.

"Tina! No!"

Wanda whirled around on the distressed cry and saw several of her Nightsister comrades using their magic arrows and weapons to try to harm the Whuffa who was growling at them.

"What happened?!" Wanda quickly asked.

"That crazy bastard just ate her!" Junn shouted, trying desperately to kill the worm.

"Alive?" Wanda asked in concern and her eyes glowed, reaching out with her telekinesis to try to get a lock on Tina if she was somewhere in that worm like they had just said.

Even if a person was swallowed whole, it didn't mean they were instantly dead.

Seeing the chaos surrounding her and taking note of things, Wanda realized something.

The worm sought to take them out one or two at a time.

Wanda didn't want to risk her comrades getting killed, let alone having them all be exposed due to this combined onslaught.

Ros said the worm's hide was thick. Perhaps thick and dense enough to make killing it near impossible and time consuming from the outside.

But what of the inside?

Remembering a particular scene of this stupid film her brother liked as a guilty pleasure, Wanda rushed forward and let herself get swallowed.

"WANDA?!" Junn screamed in alarm at the sight of friend getting eaten.

"Did she do that intentionally?!" Ros yelled out, conjuring spears with her magic and throwing them at the worm. "What is she thinking?!"

Being within the giant sandworm, Wanda saw Tani fighting but she was hissing in pain as her skin started to burn. Not just the Dathomirian, but the Sokovian as well.

The Avenger soon realized they were both being drenched in digestive acids which would start liquifying them.

Wanda clenched her teeth tightly and focused on Tani.

She sent scarlet tendrils towards her and it soon surrounded her entirely. In an instant, Tani gasped in relief and a moment later, Wanda did the same to herself.

Igniting her carmine red lightsaber, she started carving through the muscle and the digestive walls around them. Her attacks proved effective as it was more vulnerable from within.

From the outside, Ros, Junn and the others witnessed the sandworm flail in pain and screech out a ghastly sound. As it thrashed about, they soon spotted a red plasma blade start making its way out though the hide. It did retreat for a bit before the Nightsisters saw a red glow coming from the carved openings.

It started making its way up around the worm's head when-

*BOOOM*

-it exploded in a Gorey mess before the rest of the body toppled over.

*THWOMP*

From the severed opening, Wanda soon crawled herself out with Tani following suit. Once fully out of the beast, they collapsed onto the ground in their own respective fashions. The digestive acids were perhaps washed away through the slime, blood and meat rolling off them now.

Wanda was on her knees with her face twitching and squirming in disgust with a yellow-green tinge appearing.

"Oh god…" She nearly hurled right there but managed to reign herself in. "That was the most disturbing thing I've ever done."

"Urgh." Tani moaned, face down on the ground.

She was in pain from the digestive acids but the traumatizing experience of being eaten was overriding her pain.

Many stood there in absolute shock for a time as to what they had just witnessed when it was Talzin's clan of Nightsisters that broke out of their stupor and quickly killed the remaining enemy Dathomirians.

"Gotta say, Maximoff, you may possibly be the first to kill a Whuffa Worm in such a way and live to tell the tale." Ros commented, still in slight disbelief at what she had witnessed.

"Don't I feel special." Wanda said in a low, miserable voice as she took a whiff of the smell wafting off her body and gagged.

Some couldn't help but laugh slightly at seeing her reaction with Junn going over to assist Tina as Wanda murmured that she needed a moment alone.

Around them, they saw the dead Zalem clan members littering the ground, a casualty of the Whuffa Worm's rampage and their own attacks in taking them out. Some of their allies were making quick body checks to see what they could partake from the dead for the future.

"We need to move immediately." Ros warned them all. "Vonya or any other guard party will come soon to investigate this. Especially after Wanda's recent display."

"Just give me a moment." Wanda said with a squeamish face, calling upon her powers to try to expunge as much gunk as she was able to off her body. "Ok, let's go."

"Wait." Junn spoke up. "Where's Yongti?"

There was a moment of silence when…

"Uh… I think I found her."

They all turned their heads to see the Dathomirian lying dead on the ground with a pool of blood stemming from her stomach.

"How'd that happen?" Ros asked in slight bewilderment.

"I think it may have happened in the fight." One of the other Nightsisters commented. "A stray shot from the look of it."

"Well… that's a bit unfortunate." Junn remarked.

"Come on." Lai said with a shake of her head. "It's best not to dwell here."

As they all fled, Wanda asked Ros a question.

"Is there like a spring nearby or something remotely close? I'd like to get this all washed off."

"Second it." Said Merrin's mother.

"There is one within my village which my mother keeps for herself." Ros said. "As soon as we take her down, you both get first usage."

"Thank you."

For now they had to deal with the sickly gunk for the time being.

After fleeing for a good while, Ros threw up her illusion spell. They resumed their infiltration mission as they navigated through the desert territory.

"I'm amazed that we got away so cleanly." One of the Nightsisters stated.

"Don't jinx it." Wanda reflexively said. "We caused a huge mess. Wouldn't be surprised if they're already trying to look for us. We weren't exactly discreet."

"We need to hurry." Ros said. "My mother's plans will soon begin. We need to get your clan out of there."

The pace increased a moment later, the all-female team practically sprinting now towards their destination.

They moved past several patrols, avoiding ones with a larger number then their own and taking out the smaller groups before moving on.

They maneuvered around the slave pens, which consisted of various smaller tents where captives or slaves likely slept or moved around. Surrounding it all was a multi-layered fence making it perhaps impossible for anyone to sneak out; even if that were possible.

As the team moved through the area, their ears perked up at the sound of very strange noises that undoubtedly stemmed from living animals.

"What's that?" A Nightsister asked.

Ros hummed aloud, concentrating on the sounds. "I think I know what it is."

Walking over a ridge, the troupe came across what appeared to be an animal pen. Wanda froze slightly at the large collection of dinosaur-like creatures that were behind the gates that held them in.

They greatly resemble velociraptors back from earth with a different bone structure. They had cobalt-blue hides with black stripes. Their red eyes looked all around as they grazed about before a few were taken to cages.

"What's up with the blue raptors?"

She was met with quizzical gazes. "Raptors?"

Wanda rolled her eyes. "Nevermind, just those…"

Ros gazed at them and her eyes brightened slightly. "Oh, the Kwi. They are the only species left in the galaxy related to the Kwa. Over the years, their descendants degenerated into what you see now."

As she gazed upon them all, Wanda spotted some male slaves dragging some Kwi behind some screens.

*YEEEE*

*YEEEE*

*YEEEE*

The Kwi shrieked as Wanda briefly saw silhouettes of them being essentially cattle prodded at the highest setting. Another person was with them as something bright was being held. In an instant during the shrieking, the light came down as the Kwi bellowed out in further pain.

Wanda's fists clenched tightly. "What are they doing to those poor things?"

"They're cutting off the lizards' paws, Zalem's using them to operate the Temple machines. And get this- because their genetic makeup is a variant of their ancestors', she's only having limited success." Ros explained with a forlorn gaze.

Maximoff flinched at hearing the pained screams of the Kwi which morphed into fury now.

"How do they sleep at night after doing that to those innocent creatures?"

"They probably become numb to it all after a certain point. It's either doing their tasks or risking their very lives." Junn remarked with a sigh.

"It's rather clear to see which option the slaves will do after some point."

"But… we can't just leave them here."

"Wanda, if we take out Zalem, then they will be free." Ros emphasized. "The sooner we do that, the sooner we can help them out."

The rest of the Nightsisters moved to keep going forward but Wanda remained.

She stared ahead at the pen, catching sight of several slaves and Dathomirian witches torturing several Kwi who were all screaming in agony.

Something felt incredibly unnatural and wrong about this.

The way they were reacting…

Her telepathy picked up on pain and agony radiating off the Kwi that were being tormented right now.

And not in the sense of a pinned down animal.

No… there was… something else to this feeling.

A feeling of… sentience?

Wanda was jolted out of her thoughts when she heard a curse and another Kwi let out a cry of pain before it was roughly shoved to the ground.

'That's it.' She internally said to herself.

Power flared around her as she levitated up into the air and she floated above the pen and quickly spotted all the Dathomirians keeping the Kwi in the pen.

'Five?' The Avenger mentally scoffed. 'Pity. I wanted more.'

She proceeded to flick her hands and in an instant, all five of her targets were ensnared with her telekinesis and struggled in vain.

They were deftly lifted up off the ground and before they were able to yell out or call for help, the five were slammed together violently. A moment later they were dropped to the ground and then lifted up once more and she sent them flying away.

She smirked in satisfaction at the sound of the distant thud, knowing those people won't be getting up any time soon.

The Avenger then heard grunts and growls of confusion and she glanced down to see all the Kwi within the pen looking up at her.

Floating down, Wanda stood before the gate that contained the Kwi and held up her hands to release them when she momentarily hesitated.

Much as she wanted to help these creatures, she actually hadn't considered what would happen if she did release them.

Would they prove to be hostile and attack her?

Would they recognize the aid she had given them simply because she wanted to?

"Dammit." Wanda said to herself, a mirthful smirk in place. "Pietro would never let me hear the end of this."

With a sigh, she raised her hand and used her powers to open the gates that held the Kwi prisoner.

Might as well follow through with it.

The Avenger stood in place as she watched the Kwi slowly file out of the pen and stand in front of her.

There was a moment of silence as the Sokovian stood alone before maybe two or three dozen dinosaurs.

Feeling a bit stupid in doing this, she cleared her throat.

"Hey there." Wanda said in a kind manner, holding out one of her hands to the Kwi herd. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I just want to see if you're alright."

The lead Kwi regarded her warily but it took a tentative step towards her.

The Sokovian was rather startled at the red eyes staring back at her, a level of intelligence she was not expecting.

She was slightly on edge but she remained passive as the Kwi drew in closer until its snout was right in front of her face. Wanda watched its nostrils flaring with the sounds of it sniffing her intently before lowering its head to gaze intently at her eyes.

Wanda was drawn in and subconsciously, she raised her hand and placed it atop its snout and the Kwi proceeded to let out a huff that seemed like satisfaction.

Letting out a relieved laugh, Wanda proceeded to pet the Kwi who seemed content with the gesture.

"You're not so scary, aren't you?" She softly cooed.

As she continued to pet the blue velociraptor-like species, Maximoff abruptly frowned and started to feel something with her powers. Someone was trying to contact her through them.

Who or what was it?

Strangely enough, she didn't feel any malevolent intent. Just genuine intrigue.

Curious, she opened her mind slightly.

It was at that moment did her perception flicker from the desert landscape to that of a vision. To a time long since passed.

And the narrator of it all was the Kwi before her.

It was telling Wanda a story through the vision, one that of its ancestors: the Kwa. How they somehow contained the ancient, pure power of the cosmos inside the underground chamber, using it as a stellar gateway. The power within the chamber was controlled by the temple above.

After this magnificent feat, their civilization rose and thrived as they slowly spread their influence across the galaxy… and beyond.

Then as their species declined, the Kwa sealed up the entrance shaft and pathways towards the Star Chamber. And designed dummy shafts and death traps to deal with future intruders.

Rather indigenous, actually.

Just in time too when the Rakata came around and sought their power while greatly betraying them to rule the galaxy.

And those whuffa worms were created by the Kwa to act as guardians.

Apparently since Wanda killed one of them, she'd to take its place in a manner of speaking.

If the worms were not enough, the Kwi and their ancestors took their place over the centuries and millennia. Overall, they had to protect the place from those who hungered for its power; not just of the way of true interstellar travel but of the source behind it all.

The Avenger saw the full scope of the details. It then went further as she saw the source of the cosmic power inside the Star Temple.

It was so grand, so magnificent. It seemed to call out for her.

It was then did Wanda finally realize a number of details.

But before things could go any further, the Sokovian was pulled out of the vision.

"Wow." Wanda whispered in a low voice, gazing in astonishment at the beast before her who now held a more solemn look in its eyes.

A few moments later…

"You mean they're intelligent?" Junn said in bewilderment, eyeing the Kwi now standing behind Wanda.

The Sokovian shrugged her shoulders. "Not much more so than other animals, but smart enough. They care for one another and have their own kind of wisdom."

Ros proceeded to sigh in amused bemusement. "We leave you alone for a few minutes and now you have a pack of Kwi at your beck and call."

Wanda chuckled slightly in a sheepish manner when a certain thought strayed through her mind.

"Ros?"

"Hmmmm?"

"Has there been anything your mother had gotten made or converted recently to access the Star Temple's subterranean levels? A means of reaching the Star Chamber?"

The question clearly startled the Dathomirian hybrid. "How did you-"

"Just answer me please?" She cut her off, giving her a hard stare.

It didn't help that she now had the curious gazes of the rest of the group causing her to shuffle about slightly.

Ros let out a sigh before she explained.

"Shortly after your arrival, a star cruiser owned by a Givin crash landed in our territory. It was more or less intact. With that and adding on parts from other scrapped ships, my mother had it converted into a subterranean tunneling machine as it's beams runs off the main star drives. After that, she's been having more of them made with what we've got to increase her progress. Especially after using the blue blob as an additional power source."

"What even is this blue blob supposed to be?" Junn abruptly spoke up. "I know we saw your memories and your mother is siphoning its powers but you never explained to us what it really is."

Ros shook her head. "I already told you what I know. It's not of this world and not of anything my or any clan is likely familiar with. All I do know is that we need to destroy it to stop my Mother's plans."

"Feels like we're just wasting time." Tina said with a frown. "We haven't covered as much ground as we should have."

"Then how do we get to where we need to be faster?" Junn asked. "I don't see any speeders or any other transports nearby."

"I think I wouldn't do all that well in keeping us hidden if we're running." Ros admitted to them. "Feels like I would lose concentration or just trip at an inopportune time."

"So what do we do then?" another Nightsister asked.

There was a brief lull of silence when they heard a rough foot move on the ground and scaly skin meeting soft leather.

They turned to see the lead Kwi nudging Wanda's shoulder lightly with its snout.

She gave it a confused look at first, tilting her head in a silent question of 'what is it?' until the Kwi snorted and lowered itself slightly.

It gave an expectant look, eyeing its back a few times and waited there.

Wanda blinked. "Are you-"

To the slight shock of the Nightsisters, they watched the Kwi nod in confirmation at Wanda's unfinished question.

Though she was a young adult, the key emphasis was that she was still relatively young.

And that meant that certain childish tendencies stuck around for far longer than most.

She slowly turned to the rest of her group with a wide grin.

"Anyone up for riding raptors?"

If one could see from a distance, they could see a small sand cloud racing across the terrain. The source came from the Kwi with Wanda and the others riding them.

Reactions varied, given in most clans it was a great yet rare honor to ride the Kwa descendants.

Maximoff, however, was having the time of her life. She knew that once she would reunite with her twin and the rest of the Avengers, this would be one hell of a story to tell.

Riding dinosaurs to save an alien planet.

That description alone was awesome.

"What are we after again?" Tina called out to Ros who was riding right by Wanda.

"The source of my mother's newfound power and the entrance passageway to the Star Chamber." Said the daughter of Zalem. "Now c'mon. I know where the subterines are kept after drilling for the day."

-Scene Cut-

"Huh…"

"Hmm? What's wrong, Quill?"

"I dunno… I just thought about dinosaurs… and how I always wanted some." Star-Lord frowned. "And now, for some reason, I'm missing something important that would have changed my life. Oh well."

"Query: Master, perhaps it is the Force that special Meatbags value so much."

Quill shook his head. "No, no, HK, this is something else. Something far more personal to my soul."

-Scene Cut-

Zalem stood before the large blue mass that sprouted on her planet those two years ago.

A good portion of it has been cut out by now with certain parts growing a sickly green glow that emanated the residual magic used in excavating whatever this thing was.

Zalem's clan had been studying this strange mass for months on end to no avail as to how to discern just what this thing was supposed to be.

All they could decipher was what was literally seen by many who were there that day.

It just exploded out from the ground from seemingly nowhere, rapidly expanding and growing in size while consuming everything in its path.

Inorganic and organic material.

Then, just as suddenly as it appeared and grew, it halted in its movements and made no indication that it would be moving ever again.

The blue glow that it had subsided and after that it just remained where it was.

It did nothing.

But to Zalem, the mad Queen saw something no one else recognized.

Opportunity and power.

She had felt as all Nightsisters undoubtedly did when this thing first exploded out onto the surface of the planet.

All dismissed it afterwards, opting to ignore it all together as they saw no value in this strange mass.

All but Zalem.

Even if the cosmic light within it dimmed and became dormant, it's power was still there, just waiting to be used by anyone.

She could feel it.

The Nightsister Queen just needed to figure out how she would be able to get it.

So she had gotten to work on uncovering the means in which she would be able to gain access to this cosmic power just waiting to be accessed.

She had hit a number of roadblocks at first when a wicked thought came to mind.

This thing consumed anything and everything it had come into contact with when it first "burst" onto the scene.

Was it through this that it was able to expand so rapidly?

It was an idea but it needed to be tested. So of course, sacrifices had to be made.

They were naturally unwilling but they had to be made for her endeavors and goals.

And several of her theories were proven correct.

When one channeled energy into the mass, there was a reaction of sorts wherein it seemed to come alive for the briefest of moments.

The blue glow had returned but it didn't expand and it dimmed only seconds later.

That sparked hope and ambition in Zalem and her clan as they began to extensively study and test what they were able to draw out more reactions out of the mass.

This went on until the Queen tested what she could give and perhaps, what she was able to get back.

One day, she placed her hand atop the mass and sent her magic flowing into it and suddenly, she was surrounded and filled with the cosmic energies within.

She was able to find a way to touch the power without having it harming her.

When she did it for the first time, she felt like a new woman.

No, she felt like a god!

Thus new doorways and routes towards her sought after goal and beyond it were blown wide open.

So much power in such a short span of time.

The possibilities were now limitless.

Yet…

Despite gaining so much power in such a short amount of time, Zalem failed to account for the unforeseen drawbacks that came with this new acquisition.

She started to obtain an appetite for literal power, not just figurative.

This side effect came suddenly when she was overwatching a number of her denizens practicing their own magic until she caught sight of one in particular standing out from the rest.

The way she utilized her magic was exquisite and pristine and… enticing.

She didn't even realize she had gone over to this young witch who was practicing her magic.

Zalem had taken her hands and began to sing the praises of the young adult in her capabilities without knowing that she was draining the girl of her power the more she spoke. She realized it too late when she saw the Nightsister gasping for breath, hacking and coughing violently when her eyes abruptly turned white, shriveled up and she fell over, dead.

This… ended up causing issues.

And plenty of them.

A solution was soon made.

When she didn't partake of her new favorite "dish", she started to feast on others who crossed her or just anyone in general. Even children who didn't meet her standards.

Of course, that was until she was able to obtain a sample of the Kwa's prized power below their very feet.

After that, well, Zalem absolutely knew she needed it above all else.

Thus she needed to find a way to get into the Star Chamber.

Slaves were used to dig through the earth, navigate and map the tunnels and brave the defenses so Zalem could safely reach her prize.

She more or less has found it, yet she unfortunately couldn't find a way in. This caused the Witch Queen to seek a means to.

Trial and error consumed all these months. Decapitated Kwi limbs were hit and miss on sections of the temple's maze, which could perhaps reveal clues to unlocking the cosmic energies. Not even her newfound power could breach it's defenses.

This made the Witch Queen realize she needed a peculiar "key" to allow her access to the Chamber. And it clearly wasn't within her territory, no matter how hard she and her people searched every square inch; but it could perhaps be in one of the others.

Thus began her plans of uncovering what she needed to further her new plans and ambitions.

Not wanting to arouse suspicion with the other clans, she sought an audience with those who had Kwa temples within their territories. If there was a shred of anything useful, she would eventually have to take it by force.

In order to not have other clans find out of her actions, unite and revolt; Zalem had to kill and enslave those she conquered by any means necessary.

Zalem would continue with her plans until everything on Dathomir, no… the galaxy, until all in the galaxy was… her.

But now after hitting Talzin's territory, Zalem believes she's finally got everything she needs.

Soon, she will be able to access the Star Temple and that which lies within and from there, the galaxy will be hers.

Not just obtaining untold power, but possibilities to quickly spread her reach towards everywhere.

Presently, the Dathomirian queen was preparing for her ascension with a tasty little morsel.

One of Talzin's Nightsisters had been presented before her after leaving the cosmic blue blob some time ago. Bound against a slanted table, who fought to free herself from the restraints.

She had placed both her hands on either side of the woman's head in a loving fashion before the green magic began flowing out from the Dathomirian warrior and into the Dathomirian Queen.

Zalem inhaled it all through her nose as if it were a drug which it was to her for all intents and purposes, feeling the high of this power flowing through her.

Off to the side was another person present, one who was relatively close to the present captive.

Said person was Wanda's little sister figure.

Merrin watched on in dreary horror as she feared for the safety of her best friend's aunt, for she protected her when they were captured alongside everyone else.

Ever since being brought to Zalem's territory, more and more of their people started to disappear alongside others unfamiliar to them. Those of Talzin's coven more or less feared what may happen to them.

As it turned out, nearby was a large hole where many dried up corpses were being piled in. They weren't old by a longshot, they rapidly deteriorated due to Zalem feeding off them when not consuming that of the blue blob.

Merrin had dried tears on her cheeks, looking up at Zalem who gazed down at her with a wicked grin.

"Oh." She cooed menacingly, kneeling down to the frightened girl who flinched trying to get away from the older woman.

The Queen only laughed sadistically as she reached out her hand and grazed it across the cheek of the frightened young child.

"Shhhh~~" Zalem whispered. "It'll all be over soon, my child."

"Stop touching her." An enraged woman next to her shouted.

Zalem only looked over to the captive Nightsister with an unamused face.

"And what are you going to do about it?" Mocked the Witch Queen. "I've already touched so many others and no one had stopped me before." Without looking away, she addressed her right hand. "Vonya, you may proceed with your… operation."

The Nightsister nodded as she withdrew a syringe filled with some orange liquid. Floating within it were a few worms.

"This will hurt quite a bit." Vonya said to the bound captive. "Even though you have witch blood, these artery worms are injected directly into your veins. It'll be an excruciating day for you, though you may not see the coming sunrise or even the next few minutes."

Merrin looked on in utter worry towards Ilsijj, Ilyana's aunt. The needle was injected directly into her neck as the pain kicked within several moments.

"MWWAARGGH!"

She spasmed and cried out in pain as the worms began burning her veins and arteries as they began feeding off them. It was as if she was being devoured from the inside out.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Merrin cried, fresh tears streaming down her face as she tried freeing herself. "PLEASE! AUNTIE ILSIJJ!"

Zalem tapped the older woman's forehead and like that, she stopped shaking violently and slumped in her binds and didn't move.

"Auntie." Merrin wept, wanting to hug her. "AUNTIE!"

"That was good." Said the queen. "Take the child back to her pen. I have no use for her at this time."

Merrin wanted to lash out and hurt this woman who did all this pain and suffering to not just herself and her clan, but to their people. Wanting to use the Force and fight with everything she got.

Yet she couldn't. She wasn't strong enough. She would only die in vain.

But there was someone who gave her hope.

"Wanda will beat you." Merrin blurted out in a low, scared tone.

Both the Witch Queen and her hands arched a brow at the comment, looking back at the child who stared back at the clan leader defiantly despite shaking in fear.

"Will she now?"

"Yes." Merrin's tone was now more confident. "She'll definitely beat you."

Zalem scoffed with a malicious smirk in place now.

"Such bravado. I wonder how you'll react when I take care of Wanda. Take what's hers and add it to my own."

"You'll never beat her." The young girl whined petulantly now.

"We shall see in due time, my child." Zalem's smile became a bit more malicious. "She is, after all, my dessert."

Zalem stood back up to her full height once more and walked away.

"Vonya."

"Yes my queen?"

"Those that survived our attack are undoubtedly on their way here." She said with conviction. "They will most likely be led by that human outsider with the strange powers and void in the Force. Prepare the subterines. Hopefully with the power and materials I've gained after our last excursion in Talzin's territory, we'll be able to access the Star Chamber."

"At once." Vonya said with a bow, turning to quickly rush off, shouting out instructions from the queen.

-Scene Cut-

The day began showing signs of it beginning the twilight hours as they reached their next destination.

"Whoa." Were Wanda's first words upon seeing the large blue mass in the distance. "A memory is one thing but seeing it in person?"

It was quite the large mass with this blue cosmic light within the smooth texture. Whilst it didn't seem responsive at all, it dimly pulsed.

Surveying the area, Wanda took note of a few other things.

For one, relatively no one else was around for some reason. Though given what Ros told the troupe along the way, on top of the memories, the blob was highly dangerous to physical contact. Thus guards were more or less unnecessary.

There was some faint rumbling from a guarded cavern shaft a good amount of distance away to the side, which made Wanda theorize that to be the entrance for the subterines to enter each day.

Speaking of which, said forms of modified excavation transports were parked a bit away from the entrance.

"How are we supposed to take this thing out?" Junn asked, looking up at the large blob that rose far and high above them.

"Take it out?" Tina said in bewilderment. "I thought we were here to save our clan and bring down Zalem, not destroy… whatever this is supposed to be."

"No, we need to take this thing down." Ros said with conviction. "If we just leave it here, who's to say that it will just be left alone? My mother proved that you can siphon the power from this thing and there's a lot of it left to take. We leave it here and it'll only serve as temptation for the next Zalem."

"Any ideas as to how to destroy it, let alone doing any damage?" Tani asked the troupe as a whole.

The group was silent for a few minutes as they gazed at the ground, one another, the sky or the big blue blob in front of them.

"Really?" Junn spoke up. "We got nothing?"

"We've never had to take on something like this before." Tani shot back. "We're not Zalem, we don't know how it works."

"Wait a minute." One of the other Nightsisters said. "Ros, did you not see what your mother did in order to gain this sort of power?"

In an instant, Zalem's daughter changed her expression into that of a dark look that conveyed fury and remorse at the mention of her mother's actions.

"Yeah I saw." She said quietly. "I saw how she sacrificed my own people, other Dathomirians and children to gain more power than any other Nightsister past or present."

"What exactly did she do?" Wanda inquired. She remembered that memory wave, if that's what she would use to describe it, of when she saw Ros's past and the heinous actions Zalem performed.

"She infused some of her power while bringing out the power that the Witch she had on hand." Ros elaborated. "When Zalem brought out the magic of her sacrifice, she would place her against this mass and it would absorb the sacrifice with her magic while trading its own power into my mother. Over time, she kept taking out more and more to sate her appetite. By then, she simply sucked the life and energy out of those she used and gave it away to gain more of this thing's power."

Hearing this and recollecting on the memories, Wanda started theorizing Zalem was using a powerful Dark Side ability Kreia and XoXaan spoke about: Force Drain.

"As much as one may use the Force to bolster the wills and strengths of others, the reverse is possible, though not often used. Instead of sending one's will through connections in the Force, instead such connections are drawn upon, fed upon, and drained completely."

Kreia's words echoed through Wanda's head in this particular lesson. Whereas Tutaminis helps protect a Force user by absorbing and dissipating energy from an opponent or offensive measures in a number of ways, it's dark side equivalent went to the extreme. Especially when focusing and tapping towards an organic target.

Kreia described this ability as a means of destroying connections between life around oneself, drawing upon them until they were drained completely and exhausted life. Connections, however, could also obstruct this ability like if one faced an opponent with some extremely close family members, friends and allies were nearby.

Some Dark Side practitioners were able to drain life and force energy simultaneously, like Darth Malak and his former master Revan. XoXaan was proficient in Dark Healing, but her skill paled in comparison with those truly intuited where it all branched from.

Darth Nihilus, for example, was the most well-known practitioner of this ability during the Great Jedi Purge thousands of years ago. He was so strong with it, he basically drained entire planets of the Force all on his own. Even being in his mere presence would drain a person within minutes if he didn't restrain himself.

One doesn't earn the title of "World Eater" for nothing.

If Zalem was indeed a user of this ability, or working through it, then things may become more complicated than they thought.

"There's gotta be something we could do to destroy this glob." Junn stated. "Any ideas?"

Wanda frowned to herself and briefly thought back to her last mission that she had on Earth with the Avengers when they were fighting that oversized robot Ultimo.

When the team was fighting the giant Ultron knock-off, they had left it to her to deliver the killing blow.

It was a sort of training moment for her as she was being trained in that time to develop and further expand her abilities.

And after meeting Kreia and relaying what she had been taught to that point, another Force ability came up that Kreia and XoXaan spoke of that Wanda could advance on her own.

Shatterpoint.

Locating and discerning the key weakness within a target and exploiting it, dismantling and defeating whatever it was that was in your way.

"I might be able to do something."

"Huh?" Was the collective response from the group.

"It's a bit of a complicated ability that I've done before and been working on so… maybe it can be applied."

"What is it?"

"I think it's something along the lines of Shatterpoint from what I know it as but you may call it something else."

"Shatterpoint?" Ros said in surprise.

"You know it?" Wanda asked.

"How would you know such a Force ability?" Ros inquired. "My father spoke to me about this, but he didn't know how to properly wield it and teach it to me."

"You mean you had something like that and you didn't tell us?" Junn said with her hands on her hips.

"Hey, don't get on my ass about it. This never came to mind before till now." Wanda argued back. "I didn't think I would ever use something like that."

"Is there something you're not telling us, Maximoff?"

"Look, I can be more than happy to tell you all you want to know once we're done with this mission. But the longer we stop and talk, the further we delay our completion."

Grudgingly the rest of the troupe accepted it as Wanda was right on the present issue.

Wanda kneeled down on both knees and placed her hands on the ground, closing her eyes as she began concentrating on what was before her. Using the fundamentals she learned from the Sith spirits and began working from there.

Her psionic energy began wafting around her and it slowly drifted down into the ground itself.

She felt her powers digging through the earth itself as it made its way further underground.

It moved alongside the part of the blue mass that was unseen underneath Dathomir's surface.

This went on for a number of minutes as this was definitely a large… blob thing until she reached what must have been the root center of this giant object.

What was it?

Within her mind, Wanda discerned it to look like an overgrown seed of some kind.

It was nearly primal yet had a sense of sentience.

When she prodded against its borders, she immediately expunged.

That was certainly a surprise.

It sought to push her out, given she was an invading force.

But…

This was its center. The source of its existence and she was gonna find a way past its defenses.

She started to see the flaws, the cracks in the blob. All she had to do now was inject her power into them, expand and break.

Though it was easier said than done cause it was putting up one hell of a fight.

It began flaring up violently and aggressively in response to Wanda's constant attempts of intruding until… she saw something.

One single opening that looked relatively fresh.

Sensing its weakness, Wanda immediately pounced upon it.

She tore into this one tear in its root and poured all of her energy into it in an intentionally chaotic fashion.

It was fighting back like its life depended on it because it did.

No matter.

Wanda felt it trying to expel her but she visualized her powers like clawed hands and dug in deeps as she found the center most point of this seed and started to shred it apart.

From the outside, the troupe saw the cosmic light within the blue blob start to react. Like a natural jewel, imperfections were starting to show through the scarlet energies seeping through the substance. They started to pulse erratically whilst trying to proceed further and infect it all.

Looking upon the Avenger, the Dathomirian women saw sweat dripping off her dirtied appearance. Her form started to heat up with how much she was putting into this action.

A rumbling sound soon filled the air as the earth began quaking.

The troupe briefly thought another Whuffa Worm was about to appear to fight them. That, however, was not the case as it all emanated from the blue blob.

In mere moments, the hulking mass started to quake as it shrunk. This unnatural sound emanated from it as if it was writhing in pain.

After what seemed like forever, the unknown substance drastically shrunk as it kept fighting against Wanda. Before long, once reaching the size of a humanoid fist, it bursted into scarlet flames and was no longer present on Dathomir.

The moment this happened, Wanda fell back, gasping for air, nearly losing consciousness.

"Wanda." Junn shook her slightly in panic. "Wanda, are you alright? Speak to me, say something!"

"J-Junn." Wanda gasped out, getting a relieved laugh out of her friend. "Wh-What happened? Did it-did it work?"

She saw her vigorously nod her head.

"That was insane." Ros muttered aloud. "How'd you do that?"

"I honestly don't know and frankly, don't wanna try that ever again." Maximoff murmured, hand over her eyes.

"You look terrible." Tina commented.

"I feel terrible." The Sokovian stated, getting slowly helped up to feet.

She looked like she was about to collapse.

"You wanna keep going?" Junn asked in concern.

"I need to see this mission through."

"Yeah but-"

"I've gotten this far." Wanda said, gaining some strength back in her voice though she nearly fell over. "But… I could use a moment."

Just as Wanda was about to sit down…

"WHERE DID IT GO!?"

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALLYA HAPPENED?!"

"Shit, we got company!"

"Moment's over, Wanda. We gotta go now!"

"Someone carry me." Wanda said, feeling her body defiantly scream against movement.

"This way!" Ros cried out, quickly moving to assist Junn in carrying Wanda as they ran as fast as they were able to the converted subterranean drilling machines.

If they could reach one of them, then they could make it out of there and head towards the Star Chamber down below before Zalem could.

-Scene Cut-

"What do you mean it's gone?!" Zalem all but shrieked as she glared down upon the cowering group of Nightsisters through the holo-com message. "Someone better give me an explanation now or else none of you will live when I return to the surface."

"We do not know, my Queen." One kneeling and trembling Dathomiri Witch, bowing her head in submission. "It was something that was beyond our control."

"Much as I wish to see retribution done, your grace, I believe that this was something done that was out of our control." Vonya, her right hand woman, stated with a grim look as she piloted their subterine to the Star Chamber.

Talzin's people were already here, it had to be that. But so soon and so far into her territory? Unthinkable.

'There is a traitor in my midst.' Zalem seethed in thought. 'It had to be, but who?'

If this was the case, then she will clearly not forgive this transgression.

It didn't exactly matter now. She did not want Talzin's people to stop her, not when she's so close! And she will deal with this herself soon enough once she gets what's hers.

All the while…

Traversing the underground labyrinth, Wanda stared out of the cockpit window at the copilot's seat.

While the others wanted her to hang in the back of the converted transport, the Sokovian needed to visually see where they were going. It was going to be the only way for them to quickly reach the Star Chamber through the mental map the Kwi gave her.

Wanda had to focus on their surroundings, given they were traveling at high, dangerous speeds. It may have been a leisurely flight of sorts if they weren't racing against the clock.

Near her, one of Talzin's people was simply following Wanda's directions. Each turn was another path and one wrong move may derail them completely within the winding tunnels.

The others cursed as they felt the submarine shake from a blow from behind.

"They caught up to us!"

"Get the guns up and running now!"

"Already on it."

*VEEOW*

*KVASH*

*KABOOM*

"Shields are still up, but they won't hold forever!"

Sitting in her seat, Wanda was feeling slightly nauseous. After what she did on the surface left her slightly weak and vulnerable. And this made her feel the effects of air sickness, even though they were flying underground.

Hopefully she'll get over it soon… or else…

Amidst explosions and racing earth, Wanda greatly hoped the rest of her team could survive this. She didn't want to see any more of them dead.

Sadly she had to put such thoughts aside as she had to greatly concentrate on navigating through the tunnels.

"Wanda?"

"Mmlright." she managed out.

*BOOM*

The ship shook. The console soon gave out readings, which made the pilot hiss.

"There's damage to the outer hull and all of our deflectors are down to forty percent efficiency!"

"They're not letting up their assault."

Looking at the systems, eyes widened when seeing what was on the radar.

"We got torpedoes incoming!" Said the pilot. "They are coming in fast! We can't outrun them!"

Knowing what needed to be done, the daughter of Zalem approached the cockpit.

Wanda looked towards Ros as she got her attention by placing a firm grip on her arm.

"What is it?"

"We need to concentrate on their firing mechanisms so they can explode prematurely!"

Seeing the half-Dathomirian close her eyes, Wanda felt she was concentrating through the Force. Joining her, they were able to combine their power.

From the outside, the incoming torpedoes started to glow more and more until-

*KA-BLAAM*

The explosion behind them gave them a moment of recovery.

"Good. Those witches think we're dead."

"Now let's hunt them."

With the massive smoke screen, Wanda's allies were able to open fire onto their tail and the surrounding tunnel. Debris fell down from behind, starting to crash into their enemy's vessel. And through it all, their ship's blasters were dealing more damage to them amongst the confusion.

It wasn't much longer before the people chasing them were now defeated.

Eventually making out of the labyrinth-like tunnels, the troupe entered a massive, empty cavern.

"We're finally closing in on the Star Chamber."

Looking onward, Wanda saw the hovering massive structure. It was diamond shaped with numerous lights surrounding it. Either installed by Zalem's people or the Kwa millennia ago.

Recollecting the given memories from the Kwi, the walls of the chamber were one kilometer thick. And despite the material used on its construction, there was perhaps another layer to it to greatly strengthen it. For littering it's surface were numerous dents, scorch marks and holes where Zalem and her people sought to power their way through its sturdy walls.

Now that they are so close, Wanda can feel it. She can feel something trying to contact her.

In a way, it was as if the Kwi's ancestors were calling out to her, given she was seemingly proclaimed as a guardian. The temple's builders were reminding her of that as Wanda felt something occurring.

Looking onward, both she and the others in the cockpit saw the structure opening.

"Oh no, we're too late." Ros hissed out. "They're entering the Chamber!"

Within another subterine, Zalem wickedly smiled as her pilfered key was finally doing its job as she channeled power into it.

"The wall's opening!" Called out Vonya.

Indeed it was, for the bright light inside greatly pierced through the void.

Vonya piloted their ship onward as they saw a massive sphere which was covered in sky blue hexagonal panels.

"The gateway to Infinity." Zalem said gleefully.

She soon commands Vonya to direct them to the stellar control station so she can proceed to the next part of her plan.

With Wanda and the others, they felt a sense of dread as the doorway was starting to close.

"We're not gonna make it!"

"PUSH IT!"

Miraculously, their ship was able to make it through by the skin of their teeth from being crushed. The far back end of the ship did get scraped and slightly crushed but overall they made it out in one piece.

Even though they were now safe for the time being, they now had to face their next problem.

Looking from the cockpit, they saw Zalem's craft was docked with the station.

Traversing through the corridors, Zalem had her entourage move with her as she led them all.

Approaching the central console, the mad Witch Queen smiled before turning to her guards.

"Now, sisters, we are one step closer to a unified power." She then ushered a few of her people to bring something forward. "With our blue friend here, I will finally make it happen."

The blue friend in question was a Kwi whose skull was exposed with a litany of wires attached to its brain. Around its neck was a collar with a chain attached to it.

Despite Zalem gaining access to this place, there was another thing which needed to be done.

"Stretch out your little paw to activate the system." She commanded the beast.

*YEEEE* It sounded out, being resistant. *YEEEE*

"Oh? You're reluctant to assist? That's all right. That's what the electrodes in your brain are for."

Pulling out a small handheld device, she pressed the button which sent sparks directly into the Kwi's head.

*NYEEEEEH*

The beast moved forward as it now approached the console.

"That's better. That's very good." She said as she saw the Kwi place it's paw onto the device. "You see? You can do as you're told."

The control system soon flared to life as it now allowed Zalem access.

"Now I can take over." She said seeing the beast collapse over with blood seeping out of its nostrils.

"The lizard is dead, my lady." Said one of her guards.

Zalem scoffed. "They don't last long, do they? No matter, it served its purpose." With a Force push, she moved the beast away from the console. "Now it's time for Dathomir and the galaxy to know of my ascension with Infinity's End."

Before she could open the way to the cosmic energy inside this station, she was approached by one of her guards.

"What is it?"

"We're being hailed by our sisters."

"And?"

"They captured Maximoff and killed her allies. They request to present her to you immediately."

"Really? Good. Do it now."

Feasting on her prize can wait. She wanted to have Wanda see it personally as she conquered everything.

Some minutes passed as a number of Nightsisters dragged Maximoff before her. She was weak looking as she was essentially held up to her feet by a pair of women.

The Sokovian hotly glared at the mad Witch Queen.

"Good to see you again, Wanda. I see your trip has been… fruitful." The coven leader then slapped her. "That was for destroying my property." She slapped her again with a bit more force. "That was for you coming to my home, cause havoc and-"

"You did that and more." Wanda spat out a counter argument. "Their home and others across this world are wrecked because of you. You took and enslaved others, letting them start falling victim to your own ends. And while I still breathe, you'll never control this temple's power."

"I most certainly will. "Zalem's arm waved towards the console. "Now watch as I become empress of the galaxy."

"You'll be the empress of nothing. Starting now."

In an instant, Wanda stood straighter with those holding her breaking contact. Much to the confusion of others, she smirked as she released a scarlet wave to knock many away.

Zalem retaliated by throwing up a barrier to halt the offending attack from knocking her off her feet.

It was after this did she widen her eyes upon seeing a shift in perception.

Around Wanda was an illusion, which revealed the Avenger was not alone.

Zalem and her people soon realized the others who brought Wanda here were not their own but of Talzin's clan.

Yet before they could clash, someone amongst Wanda's party spoke out.

"Zalem!"

The Queen turned to see a Nightsister she didn't recognize glaring daggers in her direction.

"And who might you be?" She asked dismissively. "Have you never been taught to respect your elders by your mother?"

"All I was taught is how to hate you. Hatred and cruelty, those were the gifts you bestowed to me, mother."

"Mother?" Zalem said in surprise. "I don't recall…" It suddenly clicked as she remembered a younger child, birthed from her womb. Her young beauty and power before she took on a malshappen form. "Ros Lai. So it was you. All this time you've been hiding your powers, your true self, from me? ME?!" Zalem soon snorted out a laugh. "How deliciously cunning."

Ros Lai was the traitor all along. She seeks to kill her.

That is as it should be, in a way. Any true daughter of hers must do as such.

She inherited her alignment with the Dark Side. Her darkness makes her hate her, just like how she hated her own mother. In a sense, Zalem must admire her on this small cycle in their family.

"Tell me, why is it you side with them and not by my side? You are my heir after all."

"That's what you ask me after everything you put me through?!" The rage was felt by all who heard Lai speak. "You would have gotten rid of me just like my father once I've served out my purpose. The abuse you put me through, what you did to me, you will feel it tenfold once the day is done. This is your reckoning, Zalem."

Deepening a frown, Zalem spat out a curse. "So be it." She briefly glanced at her guards. "Kill them all!"

The two sides instantly clashed, either by running towards one another or firing their weapons and magic at each other.

One had to be oddly thankful the control room was big enough for them all as it would've been more difficult for their present engagement.

Ros presently fought against Vonya, who snarled against her.

"You're a fool, Ros." Vonya's glare would have melted steel with how heated it looks. "You could've been with us in our sisterhood as a true Dathomir witch. You could have-ACK!"

Vonya didn't expect to get hit with one of Ros' spells to the face, making her stumble back.

"The moment Zalem killed my father, I was never going to join you." Ros used a Force push to knock her away before procuring an ancient Force pike from a fallen enemy. Igniting it, the controlled plasma blade highlighted part of her form as she glared at Vonya. "And there is one thing I clearly learned from you, your friends and my mother. Witches never forgive that easily."

Using a Force pull, the half-Dathomirian brought her tormentor towards her as she shoved the Force pike through her, killing her instantly.

As this went on Wanda and Zalem clashed, both women trying to get the upper hand on one another with their powers flaring around them while their hands were inches apart from each other.

"Such power." Zalem whispered reverently. "All wasted on such a childlike yourself."

Maximoff didn't respond and managed a repulse with her energy.

Separating from her opponent, Zalem smiled when she bumped into a particular person amongst the chaos.

As the enemies ganged up on her, Maximoff sent a shockwave that sent a number of Zalem's subordinates flying back until she heard a familiar voice cry out in pain.

She whirled around to the source of the shout and immediately froze in what she saw.

"TINA!" Wanda screamed in horror, watching the Nightsister held by her neck get the life drained from her before her very eyes.

She watched as Tina gave her one last pleading look and mouthed one final word, a final request from the Dathomirian mother.

'Merrin.'

Wanda felt tears well up at the corner of her eyes as she saw the last of Tina's life being sucked out and absorbed into Zalem. She slumped in the hand of the mad queen before she was thrown aside.

The Nightsister Monarch inhaled deeply, an insane smile plastered on her face.

Whilst Maximoff was distracted from her state of shock, the mad Witch Queen quickly went to the console and had it open up the main power source for her to fully access.

Meanwhile...

Pure, unadulterated fury coursed through Wanda's body with her flaring and erratic powers mirroring her emotions.

While she had developed a good friendship with Tina in the past few months, it was what Merrin was now gonna have to deal with at the loss of her mother.

Something that Wanda understood and knew about all too well.

"You BITCH!" Wanda screamed, her powers exploding off her being before she rocketed towards Zalem. "I'll kill you!"

The Witch Queen expected such a reaction had already summoned a green barrier to protect her from the stream of chaos directed at her.

She flinched slightly, surprised by the force of Wanda's power before calling upon her own to match the Sokovians.

The blue ethereal cosmic energy began forcing back the swirling scarlet around her.

Wanda saw this and growled before upping the intensity of her attack with Zalem doing the same.

Rocketing out of the control room, both combatants harshly landed on the ground as a doorway to the Kwa's prized power source began opening up.

From there, they felt the pure primal power kept away for millennia.

Quickly shooting out her arm, Zalem swiftly drew upon the unadulterated energy which responded in kind.

In an instant, the energy wave connected with the Witch Queen, making Wanda widen her eyes in shock.

"NO!"

Zalem cackled madly as her form started to glow.

"I've won. I've won. I'VE WON!"

The Mad Witch Queen floated in the air and was feasting more on the power. It all coursed through her veins and started to work alongside her other acquired strengths.

"My ascension has finally come. With my power, I shall conquer-"

She was too distracted in her pleasure for something to occur in her surroundings.

Harshly knocked aside by a large piece of ripped off debris, Zalem collided against a far off wall. Blasting it away, she got back up and glared at her opponent once more. Yet her gaze widened when she saw two things occur.

The first was some of the escaped, ancient energies seeping into Wanda's form; which healed and re-energized her. And the second was this happening while she pressed her hand against the doorway and saw a spot glow.

In mere seconds, the doorway closed back up, due to Wanda using her bequeathed guardianship status to make it so.

"B-But how? Only a-"

Wanda interrupted her by propelling herself forward, crashing into Zalem and started delivering psionic punches.

"You're not gonna win while I'm still alive."

"Then I'll be sure to make it occur."

As the pair duked it out, Ros and the others were taking care of the last of Zalem's forces. Among the chaos in the control room, word got out to their enemies and they made their way towards their position.

They were holding their ground, albeit barely when the room was blasted inward and knocked everyone off their feet.

Composing herself, the half-Dathomirian finally noticed Wanda was still combating Zalem as they were wrecking their surroundings. And by the looks of it, it was going beyond the boundaries of the vicinity.

Everyone else weakly got up, but the combat soon ended as Ros and the others were able to finish their enemies.

By the time this concluded, they witnessed Zalem breaking through several walls with Wanda going after her.

Wanting to perhaps assist, they all fled back to the subterines. It was there they saw scarlet and blue-green energy streaks sailing across the station and breaking through the Star Chamber's barrier somehow.

Knowing what needed to be done, Ros ordered everyone else to get on board and follow after them.

Quickly soaring through the subterranean tunnels, Wanda and Zalem clashed over and over with several areas quickly caving in. And through their bout, quakes reverberated towards the land above.

It wouldn't be long before both women shot out of the earth and tumbled about as they were back onto the surface of Dathomir. They were covered in scrapes and bruises yet they managed to get up to their feet.

The opponents took a moment to catch their breath, panting heavily while glaring at one another.

The Avengers' eyes widened slightly at the sight of several of Zalem's injuries disappearing.

The Witch Queen laughed mockingly, holding up her hand, a blue-green flame emanating in the center of her palm.

"You don't understand the power that I have attained." Zalem spoke in a crazed voice as the ethereal energy that was not her own flowed around her. "It was a gift from the cosmos itself that this power was found within my lands. It was meant for me!"

From the ground around the increasingly insane Dathomirian Queen, the dust, dirt and particles shifted about into the air.

They flowed upward, weaving together to form humanoid shapes that soon coalesced into solid figures made of stone.

"YESSSS~~! YESSSS~~! The power!" Cackled the Witch Queen as she started tapping into the infamous power the Kwa harbored millennia ago. "THE ABSOLUTE POWER OF MY ASCENSION!"

It was a rather frightening sight to see in seeing all that power explode around the Nightsister Monarch.

The look that Zalem displayed certainly wasn't helping.

"I can shape anything." Zalem said, waving her hands about with more shapes taking form around her. "Create anything. Control everything!"

The Avenger simply crossed her arms together in an X shape and pulled her hands away to create a shifting globe of her powers.

Wanda flew upwards and propelled the energy sphere forward, having it crash into Zalem. As she fell down, the Dathomirian monarch shot out a massive torrent of Force lightning. It was blocked in time when Wanda channeled her power into the earth and created a dense wall to take on the blast.

As this occurred, the subterine carrying Ros and the others finally reached the surface and made an abrupt landing nearby. They quickly filed out as they witnessed the fight still occurring.

It was at that moment did Wanda see her allies at the corner of her eyes, who were coming towards them.

Instinctively, Maximoff threw out a large red barrier that separated them for her and Zalem.

"Wanda, what're you-"

"Stay back." Wanda shouted. "Get the clans out of here. I'll hold her off."

"But Wanda-"

"NOW!" The Avenger yelled, her psionic energy exploding around her before she sent a concentrated burst towards Zalem who swatted the sphere away.

A moment later, both women floated up into the skies and flew towards one another with their powers concentrated in their opposite hands.

They both reared their arms back before clashing their energy against each other in an explosion of power.

The group watched the awesome display of ability before them.

They couldn't help but wish to stay and watch such awe inspiring power.

Eventually though…

"You heard her!" Junn spoke up. "Our sisters need us."

As the clan of Talzin ran off to rescue their kin, the fight between Wanda and Zalem escalated.

Wanda landed several psionic enhanced punches on Zalem who stumbled back slightly.

As the Sokovian went in for another strike, a tendril made of earth shot out from the ground and grabbed onto her wrist. It prevented her from moving, allowing Zalem to recover and encase her own fist in earth.

Wanda's eyes widened as she used her other arm to conjure a barrier to absorb the incoming punch. Upon impact, her shield shattered and sent her flying through the air.

The Avenger landed hard on the ground, grunting in pain as she forced herself to stand back up.

Thank god for adrenaline.

Then again, if she survives this, she is not gonna get out of bed from all the soreness.

She quickly bent her fingers about with her psionic energy moving around her like air and water.

With a sweeping swing of her arms, Wanda directed the scarlet wave at Zalem who retaliated with her own attack of using the literal grains of the ground that were empowered by the Witch Queen.

The two attacks clashed against one with small shockwaves coming from the collision.

Zalem combined her sickly green Dathomirian magic with the ethereal blue of the blob's power and the cosmic white before slamming her hand into the ground.

Light, bluish-green pillars of energy exploded out from the ground in a zigzag path towards Wanda.

She took to the skies and created a shield around her as the last set of pillars pursued her into the air.

The energy struck her barrier though she remained strong and kept them back.

Zalem had her eyes on the Sokovian with a hungry look but with it was a more frustrated and annoyed gaze.

"You don't belong here on Dathomir. It was never your home to begin with." She suddenly spoke up. "What you fight for is not your own. These Nightsisters will never accept you as one of their own."

Wanda took this in stride with a smirk her brother would be proud of. "It may not be my home, but it's got its appeal once you get used to it. And I'd rather fight for it, not see you muck it up!"

"Such a waste." Zalem chided, slowly raising her hands with the ground and air around her changing. "You should have joined me Wanda Maximoff. With you by my side, anything and everything would have been within our grasp. Whatever it is we desire we would've taken. You could even rule any planet of your choice."

"I'm surprised." Wanda snarked. "I would have believed you would have tried to offer this as a last chance."

"I'm not a fool, girl." Zalem spat at her. "I recognized your resolve the moment you chose to fight me alone. People like you are dead set on having a death wish. I have no qualms in delivering said desire."

"You'd be a first." Maximoff said to herself.

Zalem created a rotating sphere that was a mixture of her power and sent it hurtling towards Wanda.

The Earther caught the sphere and grit her teeth as she tried to hold it back. She felt herself getting pushed back with her legs grinding against the ground.

Wanda saw parts of her sleeves getting shredded apart with her arms turning red from the pressure.

Clenching her jaw tightly, she exerted a powerful burst of psionic power that managed to dispel the sphere she had been holding back.

Her hands instantly fell to her knees as she coughed slightly with the cumulation of pain and stress starting to mount up.

"You are clearly over your head dealing with the likes of me. So, why don't you surrender your magic to someone who knows what to do with it?" Said Zalem. "Do so and I'll leave you all to yourself on this planet. What do you say?"

Wanda panted tiredly yet remained defiant.

"And let you rule like the tyrant you are?" She sneered back. "In your dreams."

"Which I'll make into reality."

"Keep telling yourself that."

Once more, their powers were fired at each other and crashed into each other into a violent eruption of energy.

Though in this instance, Wanda was on the defensive, deflecting a multitude of attacks sent her way that made her body scream in pain.

A multitude of magic and stone spears were thrown at her with her blocking every single one until she was getting swarmed by them.

It reached a point where several managed to break through her defenses and land deep gashes on her upper left arm, right calf and right side of her waist.

She fell to her knee in an instant, crying out in pain as she placed a hand over her waist.

Zalem smirked maliciously and quickly created a large rock from the earth and threw it towards her downed opponent. And another one for good measure.

Seeing what was coming for her, Wanda instinctively reached into her jacket and pulled out her double-bladed lightsaber and ignited it in time to cut through the large boulders sent her way with a ferocious spin.

She exhaled a sigh of relief, looking at her weapon before back at a slightly surprised Nightsister queen.

"Well now, I was not expecting a lightsaber in this instance." Zalem said conversationally, placing a palm atop her closed fist and pulling away.

In this motion, a sickly green energy blade was formed.

"Let us see where your prowess lies." The Nightsister said challengingly.

The Sokovian let out a breath as she raised her saber up to the starting Shii-Cho stance she was most comfortable with.

Right side guard with both hands grasping the saber with the blade pointed up.

There was a moment of silence between the two as Maximoff watched Zalem pace back and forth.

"Do you not realize that you have only delayed the inevitable and prolonged the suffering to come." The Mad Queen said with a sneer. "So many lives would have ended quickly and painlessly with my abilities had it not been for your interference. But now, I must go about it in the most excruciating way possible. Taking life away from everyone I encounter."

Wanda had nothing to say to the madwoman.

She was crazed and completely consumed in her own power.

There was nothing to be said with someone like her.

Just beat her.

That was all that mattered.

Her thought process ended when Zalem went for the first strike.

She deftly blocked the overhead swing, feeling her arms strain at the force behind the hit. Wanda grit her teeth, trying to push the witch queen back.

Zalem pulled back and went for a downward strike that was intercepted and the two combatants entered into a flurry of parries and strikes.

Wanda blocked a horizontal swing before retaliating with one of her own.

Zalem went for a diagonal arch that Maximoff jumped away from.

Wanda's retaliatory jab was swatted aside.

Both had their weapons grinding against one another before pushing off each other and connecting their blades several more times.

"You have a measure of skill." Zalem said with a slight nod. "But that's just it. A measure of skill equal to that of a novice."

"Do you have to make a comment with how superior you think you are every single minute?" Wanda rhetorically asked. "It makes it sound as if you're greatly compensating for something."

Her rhetorical question was met with her being sent flying back from a pillar of stone that Zalem created and struck her gut.

She landed hard on the ground, flipping onto her stomach.

The Avenger hacked and coughed up some blood as pain numbed her senses momentarily with a ringing in her ears.

"Is that all you have to offer, Wanda Maximoff?"

"Shut *COUGH* Up." Wanda grunted out, forcing herself back to her feet.

She barely held onto her lightsaber with her other hand on her stomach, face contorted in pain.

Before her, Zalem raised her hands with a number of rocks, branches and other created items floating around her with lightning layering each object.

"Oh boy." Wanda murmured, her powers surrounding her to keep her up.

Zalem sent her electrified items at Maximoff.

The Avenger used both her lightsaber and her powers in tandem to block or deflect the Force Lightning infused debris.

"God it's like one of Pietro's video games." Wanda said to herself, catching several flying stones and sending them back at Zalem.

This went on for a number of moments with Wanda beginning to walk forward as she continued blocking the incoming flying lightning crap.

Seeing this, her opponent levitated up to the skies with her powers coursing around her.

Zalem slammed her hands together and pulled them apart to form a sphere of crackling energy that began to expand and surround her.

The crackling energy morphed into lightning that built up to its peak before Zalem sent it all hurtling towards her opponent.

Wanda blocked the Nightsister Force lightning with her lightsaber, it gave out a peculiar high-pitched sound when it began absorbing the attack. She felt herself struggling so she quickly reinforced her defense with use of her psionic powers. When it was enough, Wanda managed to parry the Force attack, letting it crash to the far off structure for a resulting explosion.

The Avenger felt her hands shaking in numb exhaustion with a cold sweat going down her forehead.

She had never experienced something like that before and much as she would want to not go through that again, the crackling electricity around Zalem's form made her tense up in preparation.

Another torrent of lightning came her way and rather than using her lightsaber, Wanda created an entire shield around her.

She flinched at the uncomfortable feeling of the lightning crackling around her barrier and felt goosebumps all over her skin.

"Why do you continue to resist?" Zalem asked, completely calm. "You know what you are fighting against is futile."

Wanda only glared in defiance, her eyes alight with a scarlet glow.

"I have accumulated more power than any Dathomirian Witch before me. I have become something beyond any of my kind could ever reach. I have reached Eternity!"

"You just love the sound of your own voice, don't you?" Wanda said with a roll of her eyes. "And I thought XoXaan had an ego."

"I know not of whom you speak, only that she must be irrelevant being compared to my grandeur."

If the situation wasn't so dire, Wanda would've really enjoyed hearing that.

"All you're doing is bringing about death and decay." Maximoff shouted at the deranged queen. "For what? What's the point of all this? For Eternity? What does that even mean? You're sounding rather obnoxious to me."

"I have no need to explain to an infantile child such as yourself." She sneered at the earth native.

"Oh yeah? Try me."

"You could never understand," Zalem moved her hand forward and aimed towards Wanda's throat. She then clenched an empty object as she continued to speak. "Your own weakness."

Wanda felt an invisible vice around her throat, staring at the Witch Queen knowing she was Force choking her as she momentarily caught off guard. The Sokovian fought hard with her own power to lessen the pain.

"Void you may be, I have transcended the confines of the Force and have reached a power higher than the limitations of that petty power. The cosmos has bestowed me with-"

"ENOUGH!"

Wanda allowed an explosion of her power to dispel whatever trick Zalem was enacting on her. No longer feeling the pressure on her throat, she instinctively rubbed it as she glared at her opponent.

"You say that I'm weak, but I'm not." Wanda recalled her time spent growing up alone with Pietro. "And I may not be as smart as others," A flash of the many technological geniuses of the Avengers. "But I know now what's needed for those I care for."

Taking a page out of Japanese cartoon she had seen her brother watch, she held her hands apart to the side of her waist and allowed a buildup of her power before unleashing a-

"GALEN PISTOL."

A powerful red beam was sent at Zalem with the Witch Queen's eyes widening in shock.

She created a stone wall reinforced by her own magic that was obliterated in an instant once Wanda's attack hit yet both dispelled a second later.

Elsewhere….

"GALICK. GUN. It's pronounced Galick gun and you know it Wanda."

"Uh… is everything ok in here Pietro?"

"No, Peter, as a fan of anime like I am, you know it's not."

"Uh-huh… I'm just gonna leave you to it then."

Back to our daily scheduled programming…

"I see you are more powerful than I anticipated." Zalem admitted with narrowed eyes. "Then I guess it is time to end this."

She clasped her hands together and began speaking in the dialect of the Witches of Dathomir rapidly under her breath.

As she did so, lightning infused objects began floating around her and being sent at the Sokovian who blocked several of them while dodging the rest.

Zalem was chanting so fast, Wanda could barely keep up. She acted quickly, zooming in close while firing off energy blasts left and right before swinging her double bladed lightsaber to deflect the incoming projectiles.

Quickly, the Witch Queen changed her chant, trying to draw more power before firing off another bout of Force lighting which streaked through the air.

Wanda soon absorbed the Force lighting into her weapon before sending it right back with some scarlet energy arcs. After shooting out several of them, Wanda retaliated with a scarlet beam as Zalem shot out one of her own.

Both attacks met at the middle as they were now battling out which would be superior.

The Avenger stared at her attempts, feeling her rage could only feel some amounts of pity. She clearly did so much to get to this point; the things she'd done, the lives she took away, all for the sake of power and unifying the clans.

Unfortunately, the Dathomirian woman was clearly blinded by her ambition.

Yet, as she now stood proud and triumphant, Wanda had to be the one to stop her; one way or another.

Numbness started to seep over her arms as Wanda sought to keep up the offensive. She was forced to break away when Zalem threw some environmental debris her way.

"Surrender." Zalem growled. "You are only delaying your death."

"No way in hell." Wanda gritted back, locking eyes with her adversary.

"You are on your last legs." Zalem spat out. "Deny it all you want but I can see it. Feel it. You're fighting on your last breath whilst I can simply call upon my power to rejuvenate myself."

Wanda didn't want to prove her right, but it was hard to admit it for her satisfaction.

The buildup of exhaustion and pain was becoming too much to bear. Her arms were numb and a low ringing was now constantly in her ears.

She felt her suit was coated with more of her internal red than her fabric one.

Everything just hurts right now.

She was barely able to hold onto her lightsaber with it falling to the ground, resorting to using her powers only.

Lifting up the debris around her, Wanda threw it all towards the Witch Queen. The Dathomirian destroyed the obstacles, only to be hit headfirst with scarlet blasts before being entrapped from all sides.

Zalem focused much of her power to break herself free. As she did, she quickly avoided Wanda's frontal assault.

The sickly green blade the Witch Queen wielded came down, causing Wanda to shoot her hands up and hold it with her powers. Putting more strength to it, the Avenger blasted her opponent away as her energy weapon dissipated.

"Why won't you die already?!" Zalem screeched, displaying genuine anger and frustration now.

Attacks once met once more as many down below watched on in tribulation. Spectators rooting for either combatant to prevail over the other, out of duty or earned respect.

Amongst them, a freed Merrin looked on with hope raging in her heart; pleading for her sister figure to win like all the stories she was told of her adventures.

Keeping on with the fight, something unexpected occurred within the Avenger.

There is no dark side, nor a light side. There is only the Force.

The stray thought appeared in her head as she used her powers to recall her lightsaber and levitate beside her.

I will do what I must to keep the balance. There is no good without evil, but evil must not be allowed to flourish.

The blades ignited as it twirled around her, cleaving any threat towards it's wielder. As this occurred, Wanda continued to combat against Zalem across the darkening sky.

There is passion, yet peace. There is serenity, yet emotion. There is chaos, yet order.

Zipping in close, Wanda clashed her lightsaber down hard, getting the Witch Queen to yelp in pain as some of her flesh and clothes were greatly burned.

I am the wielder of the flame, protector of balance.

Zalem retaliated by shooting Force lightning into the air. The clouds greatly rumbling with lightning dancing across it all. Before long, the monarch focused through the Force and brought down the powerful lightning down hard which greatly shocked Wanda considerably.

Crashing towards the earth below, Wanda struggled to get back up with hope and will be her driving force to continue the fight.

I am the holder of the torch, lighting the way. I am the keeper of the flame, soldier of balance. I am the guardian of balance.

Wanda wondered where all this was coming from, making her recall both the Sith and Jedi Codes. Yet they appeared fragmented and conjoined together in a fashion. Not to mention the fact she never heard of this particular Force Code before until now.

Either she was hallucinating or something was happening to her.

Perhaps this was something else the Kwi gave her when they made her a temple guardian.

If she were to make it out alive, she'll be asking the Sith ghosts about this for sure.

She was distracted with her thoughts did Wanda finally notice her opponent was doing something.

Zalem had both her natural magic and her acquired cosmic energy emanating off her before being concentrated into her hands.

Wanda emulated this with her own palms alight with her scarlet psionics that had pinches of a darker shade of red with specks of black.

Both women stood there, gathering their powers before locking eyes once again.

A moment of tense silence permeated the air until the two combatants flew at one another and met in an explosion of power, color and chaotic energy.

It was a spectacular display that many bore witness to with everyone holding their breath at the sight of the two attempting to overpower the other.

The attacks conjoined as they started to build up more and more in the air and in the middle.

At this moment, Zalem realized something that she had momentarily forgotten that she could do. A sinister grin was seen a moment later, startling the Sokovian who looked into the wicked eyes of the mad Queen.

The red energy that surrounded Wanda suddenly began wafting towards and then being sucked into Zalem who now flared the same power that the Avenger had.

Wanda's eyes widened in panic as Zalem began laughing maniacally.

Her powers were being taken from her far more than she realized. This made her start yelling and groaning in pain.

"Yesss~~~" Zalem's eyes literally glowed with insanity. "YESSSSS~~~~ ALL THAT POWER! MY POWER!"

'Force drain.' Wanda mentally thought in absolute dread.

The Mad Queen was using it to the umpteenth degree. She literally felt her life force being sucked right out of her. As if to emphasize the point, her body seemed to rapidly become malnourished. Her only becoming skin and bones with the light in her eyes slowly fading.

'I… I can't stop. I can't…'

She didn't want to die. She wanted to live and see her friends, her comrades and her brother again.

Zalem howled with laughter as they both floated to the ground, the Witch Queen latching on to Wanda's hands.

Now Zalem stood over the Sokovian with the younger woman on her knees before the monarch.

"As it was meant to be from the start." Zalem whispered manically. "You, groveling before me and surrendering your existence for my eternal power."

The auburn haired woman had nothing to say as she further slumped in her posture, barely able to breath now.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl, making Wanda wonder if exhaustion was truly hitting her at the worst possible moment.

She had to be seeing things now, for she was seeing Tina and Ilsijj. And not just them, but others she didn't recognize. Not just the species she's been familiar with since she came to Dathomir.

Were they… were they the other victims of Zalem's ambitions?

"I'm sorry." Wanda croaked out. "I failed."

"You say that, but are you sure you're gonna give up now?" Snipped Tina. "Where is all the bravado I've seen in you during these past months till now?"

Wanda gave her a weak smile. "Hate to say it, but Zalem's too strong and-"

"Oh enough with the excuses. You are clearly better than that." Said Ilyana's aunt.

"Am I?" Wanda asked in a whisper. "I don't feel like it. I feel-"

"Like you need to stop holding yourself back and using what you've always had." Tina said, her form floating before her. "You're unlimited potential."

"Unlimited Potential? Where'd that come from?"

"Mother Talzin always saw it and honestly, it wasn't hard for most of us to see it as well." Tina stated. "We've always seen how your powers never seemed limited with the only thing holding you back being yourself."

"Don't let grief and regret hold you back. Especially not now. It's clearly not good for you."

"Like it's that easy, Ilsijj. It… It's so hard to not drown in it. I'm just so tired of constantly fighting it. I don't even know if I have anyone waiting for me out there."

"Only if you don't open up and talk about it."

Soon she heard a familiar voice ring through her head. A person who was connected to her through the Mind Stone.

"What is grief, if not love persevering?"

"Vision?"

He wasn't there but… she knows she heard him.

"We all have issues, Wanda. You aren't the only one." Tina said calmly. "Take for example Ros. She had to deal with her mother and her tormentors for years, yet she tried to fight on for the betterment of her people. Her father tried his best to help her from the grave. She may have perhaps followed her mother's path in a sense if she hadn't met you and the little ones."

"Do you have regrets?"

"Everyone does. But it's just the more prominent ones which eat me the most. And the one I have now is not being there, having my daughter in my arms while we see you serve up Zalem's ass on a platter."

Wanda weakly chuckled when hearing this.

"My biggest regret was never being a better parent." Said Ilsijj, with sorrow in her voice. "I gave my only child away for the clan. Not just for our protection but for hers as well."

"Why? Why would-"

"I wish I could say more, but we're almost out of time." She said in remorse.

"Wanda." Tina spoke softly, kindly even. "Merrin and Ilyana… we leave them to you."

When hearing their names, Wanda's eyes widened when she realized what both those girls were going to endure now.

They didn't have their mother figures in their lives anymore.

Something she was all too familiar with.

Something Wanda now knew that those two girls who she has grown to care for needed her.

And she'd be damned if she would allow this psychotic Witch Bitch to take her away from them.

Time seemed to resume at the normal pace once the massive hallucination came to an end.

Wanda's head snapped upright and her gaze bore into a slightly startled Zalem's.

"You have something that belongs to me." Wanda stated, getting some color back in her cheeks. "Think you can just take power away like that? Let's see how you like it when it fights back!"

In an instant, the air around them changed.

The scarlet energy that Zalem was absorbing halted in its tracks before it slowly began to return back to its true owner.

"What? WHAT?!" Zalem yelled out. "No, No, No, THIS IS MEANT TO BE MINE!"

Continuing the tug-o-war of their powers, Wanda floated back up further into the air. Her power seemed to be rejuvenated as she began drawing from the environment and other sources. This became apparent as her body returned to normal from his harsh malnourished state.

As this all occurred, a unique ethereal crown started to form around the Avenger's head.

The wailing and groans started to shift from Wanda to Zalem.

So much of her power was rapidly escaping her and was going elsewhere. Her natural power of the Force and magics, her acquired gift from the cosmic blue blob and the ancient power from the Star Chamber.

The Witch Queen didn't know where at first until seeing it all going towards one place in particular.

The chaotic mass of energies bleeding into scarlet red.

Within Wanda, something inside her seemingly "broke" as if finally being unlocked and busted wide open as a result.

The melding of powers and energies swirled and encompassed her like a cocoon. Her form rapidly went through a chrysalis like state as her body seemed to rapidly evolve.

For she was being reborn and forged into something beyond comprehension.

As the lights greatly grew at their apex, it all exploded and reformed around the Sokovian to reveal her newfound state and appearance.

Wanda's attire, consisting of her remnant clothes and armor, started to mold and warp, signaling this newfound change of her existence.

This consisted of a red chest plate with angular Faulds extending into an ankle-length skirt, elbow-length red fingerless gloves, black trousers and thigh-high boots with an intricate red crown topping off her brand new suit.

The double bladed lightsaber wielded seemed to have not changed in the slightest, appearance wise. Yet the markings it bore were glowing and were more prominent. While the carmine starburst Kyber crystal inside didn't exactly change, it seemed to grow in power. The synthetic crystal, however, morphed as it became something else as it went more scarlet in color.

The unleashed power Wanda radiated could be felt all across the planet at an all-time high. It was contained, yet overwhelming. Feared by many yet revered by others.

"What have you done?" Wanda heard Zalem whisper. Putting more attention to her this time, she saw the Witch Queen shift between utter shock, fear and anger. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

The Sokovian recalled one of the earliest conversations she had with Kreia not long after she came to this planet.

"I can only give you my theory. Something I researched in passing yet latched onto me as I sought to find more Wounds in the Force. The information is rather old, perhaps just as old as the first Force wielders, or even further than that. All I have ever found was this sole text, a single page of lines that spoke of a being of unimaginable power. It spoke of a Nexus being."

Black and red energy flowed around her now.

"A being heavily connected to all things. There are rare individuals with the ability to affect probability and thus the future, thereby altering the flow of everything. They are essentially keystones to reality and are crucial to its ultimate coherence and stability. And from the tome I came across, it predicted there would be a dozen of these beings in existence. One of which is a person highly revered and feared by any practitioners of the Force and magics."

She looked down at her change in wardrobe in astonishment.

"The Scarlet Witch isn't born but forged. She needs no coven nor incantation. Her power shall exceed the Force itself for her capabilities will greatly unsettle the Balance of all things. Free and boundless to the Force, the cosmos, free to pursue and forge the destiny in which she sees fit. The unchained power that the Force could never contain."

"Y-you." Zalem stammered and for the first time in this entire fight, Wanda heard fear in her voice. "What are you?"

"Looks like I'm proving Kreia's theory to be true." Wanda laughed in disbelief, looking at her gloved hands. "I became what you apparently sought to become. An all-powerful witch. To be more exact, I became that Nexus being Master Kreia spoke of. The Scarlet Witch."

It appeared that the Dathomirian Queen seemed to know what The Avenger was talking about as her eyes widened considerably and face visibly paled despite her makeup and body tattoos.

"That's not true. That's impossible!" She screeched. "She's a myth, nothing more!"

"Something like that is what I believed a few years ago but," The newly ordained Scarlet Witch let her powers flow off her being. "Anything is possible these days."

Zalem only seethed and summoned the rest of her powers and hurled herself at the Sokovian only to find herself frozen in the air.

"Now, now, let's not have any more of that."

Getting an idea from one of her favorite shows, Wanda pulled her in close and placed her hands atop the Witch Queen's heart and head.

"What're you-"

Zalem's form was greatly highlighted as her energies encompassed her own. Even from her eyes and mouth were greatly brightened. The blue-green magics, Force, Sorcery and Cosmic energies she bore were swiftly swallowed up and consumed by Wanda's scarlet.

After several moments, the Nightsister coven leader collapsed to the ground in a daze. She lay there for a few moments until she shakily raised one of her hands in order to attack…

Only for nothing to happen.

Gasping slightly, Zalem thrust her hand forward several times to no avail.

She then managed to get on her knees and threw both hands this time only to be met with the same results.

"Out of juice?" Mocked Wanda with a pout. "Too bad~ So sad~"

Her opponent collapsed onto the ground in a heap, breathing erratically with fear coloring her face. "W-What did you do? I-I can't feel-"

"Gave you a test of your medicine."

"What are you-"

"You no longer have powers. I took it all, just like you took from those you killed." Wanda smirked at her shocked expression. "Now you're just a pathetic old woman who can't muster a thing. Well, except for her own farts and banshee-like screeches."

Zalem was gasping in disbelief as red began to fill her vision.

Her hands curled, fingers digging into the ground to the point of her nails breaking with blood pouring out of her fingertips.

"No… NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! YOU CAN'T-"

*SLAP*

Zalem's face snapped to the side and she keeled over to the ground.

She lay there, unmoving and unwilling to even try as the loss of her power began to set in. Any form of thought or feeling was completely overridden by the shock of her complete and utter defeat.

"Boy, one bitch slap was all it took to finally knock you down for good." Wanda scoffed before walking away. "Pathetic."

The Scarlet Witch heard the pattering of running and she turned to see-

"WANDA!"

She dropped down to her knees instantly and caught the young Nightsister who ran straight into her arms, crying against her shoulder.

"Shhh." Wanda whispered, caringly stroking the young girl's hair. "It's ok, it's ok. I have you."

"Mommy, she-"

"I'm sorry Merrin." Maximoff's voice trembled as she spoke. "I'm so sorry."

The child in her arms only wept more as Wanda placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, standing and taking Merrin with her who clung to her as if she were her lifeline.

Wanda felt her heart break at the sound of hearing her cry, gently rocking side to side as the girl continued to cry until she could no longer.

"She thought of you in her dying breath. And I promise I'll look out for you."

Merrin only mumbled something incoherently, moving to lean her forehead against Wanda's cheek. She adjusted her head slightly so that she had her own forehead against Merrin's and the two remained like this for a number of seconds.

"Aunty Ilsijj's gone too."

Wanda widened her eyes, causing her to tighten her hold of the child a bit more.

Perhaps her hallucination wasn't so after all.

"I see." She said softly. "I will never leave you and Ilyana." She whispered. "I promise."

They continued to stand there in each other's arms.

"I bet you're tired." Maximoff said quietly, seeing Merrin nod slightly. "Wanna sleep in all day tomorrow?"

She nodded again, making Wanda smile.

"We'll do just that." The Sokovian promised.

Wanda gave one last scathing look at the still shellshocked now formerly Nightsister Queen.

"Let's go home." She declared, walking away from the defeated Monarch.

-Scene Cut-

Her village and clan had been saved.

Her kin should have been recovering but instead they chose to celebrate their return and triumph over Zalem's Clan.

Not that she would fault them.

It was quite a decisive victory.

The largest clan of Dathomirian witches was defeated and shattered, being reorganized under Ros Lai.

She should be happy.

She should be satisfied with eliminating such a serious threat to her clan.

She should feel like gloating of her allying with essentially the greatest witch the galaxy- nah, the universe has ever witnessed.

Yet Mother Talzin could only feel nothing but conflict as she stood alone within her chambers within the temple of her clan.

A frown adorned her face as she gazed down at a pool of green magic and liquid that was in a state of constant motion.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you."

Talzin didn't look up from her bowl, hands hovering over the substance in a concentrated manner. "You are not, Junn."

"You haven't been seen for some time. What troubles you, Mother Talzin?" Junn asked, seeing her clan leader deep in thought.

"Much my dear, but let me ask you this. Why has there been no response of any kind?"

The Nightsister blink. "I beg your pardon?"

"We are ones who normally abide by ourselves, to ourselves." Talzin lectured. "Our loyalty is to our people and our clan in the end, even to opposing clans in desperate times."

Junn nodded as her leader went on.

"But with what had transpired with Zalem, I knew then and there that this may be a task too great for even ourselves to handle." The Coven leader exhaled in self disapproval. "I sent out a call to any and all of our allies, both within and outside of Dathomir. Yet any and all communications were silent."

"I can perhaps understand within Dathomir, given what Ros Lai told us. Her mother perhaps attacked, enslaved and killed any and all clans that possibly opposed her. Any survivors would've kept within their territories, just so they could survive. So it's highly unlikely we can get in touch with some other sisterhoods or even the Nightbrothers anytime soon; unless we see them in person."

"My thoughts exactly."

"As for outside of our world… I'm at a loss."

Talzin walked away from the bowl to face the direction of where Zalem's territory lay as her gaze grew distant.

"I sought to contact our Sith allies, due to my previous pact with them. Unfortunately they were not responding at all, especially as I sent out the message several times over whilst you and the others were away."

"They… could be busy?" The Nightsister said with uncertainty.

"What could make them so busy as to not respond to my urgent request? I did not withhold anything, speaking of a power that would have undoubtedly endangered all of life in the galaxy." Said the clan leader in a rhetorical manner.

The answer certainly surprised Junn. She knew that the power Zalem had gained was dangerous but to be a galactic threat?

Talzin shook her head, stroking her chin in contemplation. "No, something clearly has happened with them."

"Did you reach out to any Jedi?"

"They too were completely cut off from us." Talzin stated in a grimace. "I am not one to express concern but… despite dealing with Zalem, I fear something far more dangerous and sinister has transpired. I do not know what caused this, but I feel uneasy at this unfortunate time."

That wasn't exactly something Junn was hoping to hear, especially after defeating Zalem. "What can we do now?"

"Do what we have done before, live and survive, more than ever after what occurred. And seek out a means of communicating with the other clans and those beyond our world. I do not want to be ill informed again."

"Of course, Mother Talzin."

"Make sure Maximoff is always close and on standby. She was what allowed us to claim victory over that mad Witch Queen, let alone survive her intentions."

Junn simply nodded, knowing she would have done so either way. Even if this made sense from a tactical standpoint, Wanda was her friend first so she wished to make sure she was well situated here on Dathomir.

Once the Nightsister left, Talzin sat back down and bore a thousand yard stare at the orb floating above the table. The mists within it churned to reveal a number of things to her.

Talzin had used her sorcery to look into the Force and see just what was happening in the galaxy at large.

All she was able to see was rampant death, fear, panic and terror with only one terrifying image staring back at her.

A droid- no, a metal being that towered over any and all she had seen her life standing atop a mountain of corpses with glowing red eyes and an equally sinister smile.

While it oddly fascinated her, the unnatural being terrified her.

She saw a galaxy devoid of life and only metal with whatever this being was standing atop them all.

Who was this being that was the root cause of these visions?

Sensing deeper into this unique droid, she felt a connection. Not towards herself, but several others. One of which was Wanda.

Talzin grimaced the more she thought about what was transpiring with the rest of the galaxy.

Whilst they were able to deal with one cataclysmic threat, they were now going to face another.

She knew it was coming.

This being of metal.

They may delay it. They may dread it. Run from it. It'll eventually arrive.

It was, afterall, inevitable.

AN

Nicely timed on Halloween, right?

Thus we reach the end of the second arc of Season three and Wanda's mini-arc that turned out to be way bigger than anticipated but still, think it came out pretty good.

Basically, Wandavision helped us in finishing up this portion of Wanda's story and we figured after the show, Wanda honestly deserved her own set of centric chapters that focused on her.

And thus, with this, the Scarlet Witch is officially here. Lot sooner than MCU canon but then again, how much of this will remain what is to be expected?

Jebest4781: Now with that out of the way, we'll be resuming our regular scheduled episodes and content of Star Wars on this story. Though things will be a little hectic along the way with what we are doing as always.

Though there is something we should perhaps address: Thor and Hulk.

People were asking if we'll do stuff with them soon enough. For Hulk, it would be hard given it's basically gonna become cut and paste if we do a one-shot with him as it pertains to Thor: Ragnarök. It would just not work when thinking about it. But as for Thor… well… we'll keep that a surprise.

FMW: At most, we can maybe do a one-shot just focusing on Hulk becoming the champion of Sakaar but other than that, like Jeb said, copy and paste and we don't wanna do that. But rest assured that Hulk and Thor will show up because duh, it's an Avengers crossover, they have to. Just not in the ways most would expect.

One other thing I have noticed being brought up is the Mortis Arc and whether or not we're including Venom.

Again… no, Venom isn't gonna be in the story. We already decided that since this story is more or less planned out from start to finish for the most part. We don't really need Venom as of now.

Also, apparently Square Enix's Guardians of the Galaxy game is pretty good and fun. Depending on what me and J see on it, we can adapt and that's the key word here, ADAPT certain elements from the game into the arcs revolving around the Guardians.

Jeb: Yes there was some flack after the initial gameplay trailer, cheating us players out from not controlling the other Guardians. But with how the rest of the game went seemed to somewhat make up for it. Hopefully for a later sequel, they'll work through this complaint and allow us to finally play as our favorite team members of the unlikely heroes of the galaxy.

FMW: Indeed, so with all that out of the way, we leave you with this holiday appropriate short scene.

-Omake-

"Halloween?" Ahsoka repeated, looking at Peter in bewilderment at his unusual costume. "What's that supposed to be?"

"It's a celebration of the spooky~~~ and Supernatural~~~ parts of earth's cultures." Peter explained.

"Plus it's a cheap way for kids to get sugar drunk and adults to get regular drunk." Sam Wilson added in.

"Is it really?" Barriss asked.

"Yeah, basically." Rhodey said behind his zombie makeup.

"So… how does it work?" Anakin asked quizzically.

"Just pick a costume of some kind and off you go." Steve Rogers said, in the armor of Captain Rex while said clone captain wore Steve's suit.

Skywalker looked between the two captains in bewilderment. "Rex, when did you-"

"Sounded fun." Rex said with a shrug. "Gotta admit, it fits quite naturally. Though a little snug on a few joints."

"Alright, I'm ready Captain." Everyone turned to see Domino squad all garbed in identical matching dark robes, matching wigs and matching scars on the right sides of their heads.

One Jedi general felt a brow twitch repeatedly.

"Uh… who are you guys supposed to be?" Ahsoka asked through a hand covering her mouth from laughing.

The four clones immediately pointed to the man they were imitating.

"Oh really?!" Anakin barked irritably. "I couldn't tell."

"I do say, I rather like this idea." Obi-wan murmured now with approval.

"Good to hear that general." Commander Cody said, walking in behind Domino squad garbed in familiar beige and brown robes with a fake beard and plastic lightsaber.

"...I feel so… flattered…"

"Hey guys." Scott walked in, wearing Hopes Wasp costume.

And right behind him came Hope in the Ant-man suit.

"Wow, that's just lazy." Sam said, clearly unimpressed.

"You're not even dressed." Hope shot back at him.

"I'm cool enough that I don't need a costume."

"Hey, T'Challa, what costume is that supposed to be?" Rhodey said, looking at the Prince Of Wakanda who was decked out in a black trench coat, black cargo pants, boots, vests whilst sporting a multitude of items that appeared to be gadgets or weapons of some kind.

To top it all off he wore black tinted shades over his eyes and had small fangs on.

"I… honestly don't know. I just felt like trying something different." T'Challa said. "But… I do feel really cool."

"You look cool." Pietro said with approval, hair spiked to ridiculous proportions with him wearing a bright blue shirt with a silver lightning bolt across his chest.

"Is this some sort of Sokovian thing you are wearing?" Nat asked, dressed as Thor. Within her arms was Mara Jade dressed as Loki. Or rather some variant of him.

Pietro only shrugged.

"What about you, Peter? Got anything in mind?" Sam asked the web head.

"I would go with something specific… but~~~~~"

-Quick cutaway-

Ned and Peter basically dress up as Xenomorphs.

-End Quick Cutaway-

"I don't exactly know if it would be rather offensive in these parts." Peter said, rubbing the back of his head.

"I think you could be fine wearing some Padawan garbs. You'll just have to give them back later though."

"Sure, that works." Peter turned to his pseudo-mentor. "Hey Obi, got any spare robes I could use?"

"Don't know if they would exactly fit. But we can see what's in my closet." Kenobi said, briefly looking over to his second-in-command. "Cody, I expect your armor to be clean and usable."

"I just had it shined." Cody assured.

"Wonderful."

-Scene Cut-

"Alright, this is real cool." Peter said, jumping on the spot with his new Jedi Padawan garments. "I feel all mystical and spiritual already."

"That's not how it works, Peter." Kenobi said in amusement, wearing Cody's armor.

"Sure it does." Peter remarked with a grin.

"Alright, I'm ready!" Came the voice of Ahsoka Tano.

Peter and Obi-wan turned to see Ahsoka enter wearing none other than Widow's skintight suit.

Whereas the Jedi Master didn't think much of it, Peter was a little drawn into it.

"You look… really good Ahsoka." Peter whispered.

"She really does."

Looking over, the others saw Barriss appear in a particular outfit.

"Uh… Barriss…" Ahsoka tilted her head at what her friend was wearing.

"Yes?"

"Why… that?" She gestured to the outfit.

"I thought Ventress was really scary." Offee shrugged. "It's Halloween right?"

Ahsoka and Obi-wan had their mouths open only for Peter to pat the Mirialan on the back with approval.

"...Enough said."

"I concur."

"Well you three have your fun and games. I have some business to take care of. There's a pool tournament between the legions and we're taking bets to see who could dethrone Master Plo."

"That's still going on?" Ahsoka asked in amusement.

"Oh yes, I'm afraid it's only gotten worse."

As the Jedi Master left, the two padawans turned to the teen Avenger, both smiling.

"This was a great idea." Tano said with a thumbs up.

"It really was." Barriss said, looking down at her costume before she locked eyes with her Togrutan friend and they both shared mischievous smirks.

"So Peter." Ahsoka said, leaning forward slightly with her hands behind her back.

The young Avenger blinked at the sudden change in behavior. "Yes?"

"Which one of us has the best costume?" Barriss asked, placing an elbow on Ahsoka's shoulder.

"Well I…" Peter paused and suddenly paled as he started to realize that he had walked straight into a bit of a predicament.

His two friends stood before in very specific… poses.

They just looked… too damn good in them.

'Is it getting a little warm in these robes or is it just me?' Thought Peter, feeling hot under the collar.

"Come on Peter~~~" Ahsoka said, making sure to accentuate herself in the way that she was told to earlier. "This is a first for us."

Barriss appeared momentarily uncomfortable before she willed herself to keep going.

"Yeah, Peter." The Padawan said, cheeks turning a shade darker as she placed a finger upon her lower lip. "We wanna get a proper opinion from a friend."

"A friend?" Peter squeaked out. "I mean, yeah *cough* sure uh…"

He was now trying to look anywhere but at the two girls in front of him and he felt his growing hormones start to boil over.

"Oh, uh, I'm feeling a disbursement in the Force-"

"Disturbance."

"Yeah that." Peter quickly said.

"You're not a Jedi." Barriss recalled in a giggle.

"I must be away."

He then took off, soon running on the walls so he would avoid colliding into some passing Jedi by accident.

Barriss and Ahsoka shared a long laugh together, leaning against one another. After some moments, they started calming down.

"Did we go a little too far?" Barriss asked, wiping a tear away from her eye.

"I don't know. Natasha and Hope gave us advice on how to tease Peter. I just didn't expect it to go this way." Said the Togruta padawan. "Why did they suggest we do that anyways?"

Barriss shrugged. "I'm not sure but it was fun."

It was then that the Mirialan coughed into her hand slightly, blushing slightly now.

"I do admit, this is a rather revealing outfit." She remarked as she reinspected herself. "How does Asajj fight in something like this? And why the cloth window above my breasts?"

"No clue. But I gotta ask, but does my outfit make my butt look big?"

"Looks fine to me. Besides, yours is more practical." Barriss then did a once over of Ahsoka's costume. "But this looks really… good on you."

"Oh?" Ahsoka glanced down at herself. "Thanks. I actually feel really awesome in this. Like I can take on the galaxy and look good while doing it."

Barriss' gaze lingered for a time before shaking her head. "Um… isn't there supposed to be a party of some kind?"

"Oh, we can go to where the boys and some of the other Jedi and Avengers are." Ahsoka suggested. "If there's a pool tournament to dethrone Master Plo, there's bound to be a party."

"Away we go then."

At said pool tournament.

"Come on Commander Wolffe." The clones of the 104th, all wearing masks that emulated their Generals breathing apparatus cheered on. "Get him!"

"You were so close last time."

"Just three more balls, you can do it!"

"Well, they're as lively as ever." Kenobi said with a chuckle next to a grumpy Anakin.

"Yeah, whatever."

His former Master glanced over to his former Padawan with a raised brow before a look of understanding dawned on him.

"He's already beaten you, hasn't he?"

"Just HOW?!" Anakin didn't even bother denying it. "How does he do it every time?! He doesn't even use the Force!"

Rather than admonish his friend, Obi-wan let out a sigh of defeat. "Yes, he's already beaten me three times now. It's mind boggling at how skilled he is."

"It's not even fair."

"He probably just has better skills."

Anakin blinked and turned over to see his secret wife wearing something out of the ordinary.

"Padme, what are you wearing?"

"It's a bounty hunter outfit." The representative from Naboo said cheerfully. "I think it was called Boushk or something like that."

"Right~~" Anakin said dryly.

"Why aren't you dressed up?" Padme asked with a pout.

"I dunno, kinda seems like it's not my thing."

"Not your thing?" Padme said in surprise. "This feels like it's right up your alley."

"Yeah, come on Master, this is actually really fun." Ahsoka chimed in, patting her Black Widow costume.

Anakin rolled his eyes when he felt Padme come up to him and lean up to his ear.

"I have something special for you underneath all this when we get home." She whispered in a sultry voice, getting him to jolt in surprise and… ahem, excitement.

"Uh… like… what?"

"Well that's for you to find out if you're willing to participate in the occasion."

And like that, Anakin ran off to get himself a costume.

-Scene Cut-

Walking into the Chancellor's office, Mas Amadaa halted in his tracks when he spotted the Republic and secret Separatist leader.

"Chancellor…"

"Yes?"

"Aren't you wearing-"

"Why yes I am."

"But… why?"

"Well… I was invited to that Christmas party on Naboo and thought I could exploit it on this particular Earth holiday."

"Still didn't answer the question."

"I thought it would be ingenious. Just for one day, I get to do something I never thought I could do in public."

"Dressing up as… your other self?"

"Precisely!" Exclaimed Darth Sidious, decked out in his Sith robes. "I can get away with it too!"

"...Okay… So… I'll probably have to cancel a few meetings of yours today."

"Isn't that Sly Moore's duty?"

"Yes, but I'll have to do it faster."

"But why?"

"Because if you're so insistent on wearing that, then it may cause some issues with some… Force sensitive groups if they were to see you."

"...I may see your point."

"Then-"

"Later!"

In Mandalorian space…

"Vision."

"Yes?"

"How are you looking…"

"Like what?"

"Normal. I mean I don't see any cybernetic implants on you." The Protector then eyed the Mind Stone on the Avenger's forehead. "Well, except for that."

Looking like a blonde, white human in his mid-late thirties, Vision was dressed like a normal person in these parts of the galaxy. Presently, he was going over some data pads to get caught up with the galaxy outside of Bendu's lessons.

"I have my ways."

"Uh-huh…" Fenn deadpanned. "So what's this whole getup for?"

"Well if you should know, back on my planet there's a holiday called Halloween where everyone dresses up in a costume of their choice and then either gets candy or intoxicated."

"Intoxicated eh?" Dax perked up in interest.

"Shut up Dax." Tobbi Dala said with a roll of his eyes.

On Dathomir, around the confines of Talzin's territory, the entirety of the space was entrapped in a scarlet hex barrier. Zooming through it, the area drastically changed to look like a small suburban neighborhood from Earth.

Wanda was presently garbed in a far downgraded version of her Scarlet Witch attire. Hanging off from her hands were Merrin and Ilyana as they were walking down the street.

Merrin was dressed up as a cute little vampire while Ilyana wore a pretty princess dress.

Hobbling beside them was Ros Lai, who took on her "Rancor" appearance.

"You sure you want to look that way?"

"I'll be fine." Said Ros Lai, not bothering to use her stuttering lisp for her disguise. "I can deal with this form for one more day before I kill this appearance for good."

"So we're getting candy and sweets?" Merrin asked excitedly.

"Yup." Wanda assured with a wide smile, lightly lifting the two off the ground with her powers.

All around them were young Dathomirian kids running about in costumes, bags filled with candy.

There were other Nightsisters and Dathomirian Witch clans also going along with the holiday.

Some were enthusiastic and getting into the festivities whilst a few were glaring bloody murder at a pompous Wanda.

"Isn't this going a bit too far on what you're doing here?" Ros inquired.

"I did give them the warning before I erected this space. It's not like I'm making it permanent, imprisoning and enslaving them all to my will."

Lai snorted. "Like that would happen right?"

"Maybe, who knows."

"Wanda…"

"What? I was joking. Sheesh, cut me some slack here."

The door they stood at opened to reveal a very unamused Junn dressed as a maid.

"If you ever make me do this again-"

"Trick or treat!" Merrin and Ilyana cut her off before she got the chance to finish her threat.

Junn's eyebrows visibly twitch violently until through her clenched teeth she deposited a number of sweets in their bags.

"Thank you Junn." Wanda said cheekily.

"Will hurt you." Her friend said through gritted teeth before closing the door.

As they walked away, Ros began to laugh. "I gotta admit, seeing everyone like this is quite the sight. I can watch this all day. I'm honestly more amazed that I went along with your suggestion then rejected it."

"I helped save the planet from Zalem, this was the least they could do." Wanda then guffawed, remembering something hilarious.

"What is it?"

"You should see what I did for Kreia and XoXaan."

At the base of the temple entrance to Talzin's coven were the two Sith Holocrons and their tenants being displayed for all to see.

Kreia's appearance resembled that of I Love Lucy with even her hair being altered to match Lucille Ball's style. XoXaan -however- was close to blowing a gasket as she was dressed in a stuffy lioness costume that completely destroyed any semblance of her threatening appearance. She was told it was based on a character called Nale, Nala or something like that.

Not that it mattered.

She just wanted to strangle Wanda if she were able to.

"Haaaateee heeerrrr~~~" XoXaan managed out through her raging expression. "Haaaaaaatteeee heeeeerrr~~~~"

"I am inclined to agree." Kreia said, trying to keep her expression unreadable yet the palpable rage boiling beneath was easy to see.

Back with Wanda, she only had a wide grin at the thought of her two Sith Teachers in the state that they were in.

"I love Halloween." She said, smiling at Merrin and Ilyana who were comparing candy and sweets with each other.

Thanks for reading.

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